Age-related Changes in Renewal of Taste Bud Cells and Expression of Taste Cell-specific Proteins in Mice

It is known that taste sensitivities change throughout life and they decline with aging. We have also found that both detection and recognition thresholds of taste were significantly elevated in aged persons, while oral somatic sensations hardly changed. To elucidate the peripheral mechanisms of the decline of taste sensitivities with age, we first investigated age-associated changes in cell renewal of taste buds in the circumvallate papillae of ddY mice, because one of the major characteristic differences of taste receptors from somatosensory receptors is a continual turnover of cells. In addition, we examined the expression patterns of taste cell-specific proteins such as protein gene products 9.5 (PGP 9.5) and gustducin, and ultrastructure of taste buds which may change resulting from the change of turnover rate. As a reference, we also used mice in the developing stage. The rate of cell renewal was examined using 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU), which is incorporated in DNA during the S-phase of cells. BrdU and the proteins were detected immunohistochemically and the ultrastructure was investigated by electron microscopy. The aged mice demonstrated a delayed cell renewal and highly vacuolated cytoplasm in taste buds, while they showed no change in PGP 9.5-immunoreactive cells and an increase in gustducin-immunoreactive cells compared with young adult mice. In contrast, the developing mice showed a higher rate of cell turnover and rapid increase of PGP 9.5- and gustducin-immunoreactive cells reaching the mature level in 3 weeks after birth. The changes observed in the present study in aged mice may be related to the decline in taste sensitivity with aging.