Features of gustatory system morphology in early juveniles of Siberian sturgeon <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acipenser baerii</Emphasis> (Acipenseridae,Acipenseriformes)

Investigation of the structure of the gustatory apparatus and morphometric features of the brain in two age groups (1.5 and 6 months) of Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii shows a well-developed gustatory system in all studied exemplars. In the oral cavity of the sturgeon, 14 sensory zones are separated, and eight zones are supplied by gustatory receptors. During the growth of the juveniles, morphometric parameters of the zones can change. The zones of the dorsal and ventral linings of the oral cavity are similar by morphology and size, and they are complementary. The largest zone of the oral cavity of the sturgeon with a complex structure is the palate organ. The taste buds of the sturgeon are characterized by a large variation in shapes of apical protrusions of receptor cells. Weight indices of the brain parts and estimated sensory coefficients show an increasing degree of development of the gustatory and olfactory systems during growth of the juveniles. Two age groups of the juveniles are characterized by similar morphometric parameters of the gustatory receptor apparatus with external localization, but the morphology of the gustatory apparatus of the oral cavity is different. The features of the gustatory system morphology are discussed in connection with biology of the species.     

Distribution and ultrastructure of taste buds in the oropharyngeal cavity of the rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson

The distribution, external surface morphology and ultrastructure of taste buds in the oropharyngeal cavity of the rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson, were studied using scanning and transmission electron microscopes (SEM and TEM). The SEM revealed three taste bud types, varying only in their degree of elevation from the general level of the epithelium. Types I and II were located on elevated papillae associated with teeth on the dentary, maxilla, palate, tongue and pharyngeal pads while the unelevated Type III were mainly found in the anterior (branchial) pharynx.
Each taste bud was composed of four cell types: basal, dark, intermediate and light cells, the apical processes of the last three filling the taste pores. The intermediate and light cells appeared similar in ultrastructure, varying only in the amount and organization of smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) in their cytoplasm. In addition to its contacts with the processes of intragemmal nerves distally, the basal cells established independent contacts with processes of extragemmal nerves basally. It is suggested that the distribution of the taste buds and their close association with teeth are adaptations to the predatory feeding habit of the rainbow trout. Age differences may account for the existence of two types of gustatory cells and the manner of innervation of the taste bud suggests the existence of two pathways for the transmission of gustatory sensation to the central nervous system (CNS).     

Structural Organization of the Taste Apparatus in Characins (Characidae,Teleostei)

The morphology and distribution of taste buds in the outer integument of the body and in the oral cavity of two forms (blind cave and sighted terrestrial ones) of the astyanax Astyanax fasciatus and in intact and blinded individuals of the Buenos Aires tetra Hyphessobrycon anisitsi have been studied using electronic scanning and light microscopy. In sighted individuals of both species, the morphometric parameters of the taste apparatus and the distribution of taste receptors are similar; the taste apparatus in the oral cavity is more developed than in the outer covers. Morphologically different taste zones were found in the oral cavity of characins. In blind fish, the taste apparatus of the maxillary zones is distinguished by smaller taste buds and a greater density of their distribution. The sensory field of taste buds in blind and sighted individuals of astyanax and tetra has a similar ultrastructure; it is formed by taste cells of three types. In blind astyanaxes and blinded individuals of tetra, numerous modified epidermal cells were found for the first time in the epithelium of the taste zones and in contact with taste buds, which are regarded as tactile receptors and a constituent element of polysensory taste-tactile complexes localized in blind fish in mainly ventral sensory zones.     

Effects of the long-term anosmia combined with vision deprivation on the taste sensitivity and feeding behavior of the rainbow trout <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parasalmo</Emphasis> (=<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oncorhynchus</Emphasis>) <Emphasis Type="Italic">mykiss</Emphasis>

We compared taste preferences, taste sensitivity, and behavior in testing food objects in the group of intact and two groups of sensory deprived rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss yearlings. We demonstrated that long-term anosmia (for 9 months), as well as anosmia (for 9 months) combined with enucleation (object vision deprivation for 4 months), does not change the taste preference of fish for the agar pellets containing amino acids (L-alanine, L-proline, L-histidine, or glycine; 0.1 M). For all groups of fish, the threshold L-alanine concentration in pellets that caused a significant increase in consumption is 0.01 M. We showed that sensory deprived fish change their behavior of gustatory testing, namely, the rate of repeated snaps decreases as well as the pellet retention time in the mouth cavity. These results demonstrate that long-term anosmia combined with a partial vision deprivation does not significantly change the taste preferences and sensitivity in the fish that have no external taste buds. However, the observed reduction in the testing time of food objects and other changes in fish feeding behavior may suggest some functional alterations in the intraoral sensory systems (gustatory and/or tactile).     

Comparison of the oropharyngeal cavity in the Starksiini (Teleostei: Blenniiformes: Labrisomidae): Taste buds and teeth,including a comparison with closely‐related genera

The present study describes the distribution of taste buds and teeth in the oropharyngeal cavity of 13 species of adult (18–60 mm SL) Starksiini fishes inhabiting subtidal waters of the Neotropical region. Four types of taste buds described previously in other fish groups were observed within the oropharyngeal cavity, of which type I, situated on prominent protruding papillae, is the most common. The number of taste buds in this cavity varies considerably, ranging from ca. 202 in Starksia lepicoelia to ca. 770 in S. sluiteri. In all the studied species, taste buds are more numerous on the posterior (160–396) than on the anterior (42–294) part of the oropharyngeal cavity. The presence of different numbers of taste buds in different Starksiini species of the same standard length suggests that numbers of taste buds are not directly correlated with size and may be species‐specific. Teeth are found on the premaxilla, dentary, vomer, palatine (in some species) and the upper and lower pharyngeal jaws (third pharyngobranchials and fifth ceratobranchials, respectively); the form and number of teeth and taste buds on each of these sites differs among the various species of Starksiini and between them and closely related species of the labrisomid tribes Labrisomini, Mnierpini, and Paraclinini. The results thus suggest potential systematic value in certain features of the oropharyngeal cavity for blenniiform fishes. It is also shown that benthic‐feeding omnivorous fishes have higher densities of taste buds than piscivorous fishes. A possible correlation among numbers of taste buds, their positions in the oropharyngeal cavity, and other parameters is discussed. J. Morphol., 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Sensory structures at the surface of fish skin I. Putative chemoreceptors

Fish skin contains solitary epidermal sensory cells which, on evidence from their cytology, are believed to be chemosensory. The external appearance of the apical sensory processes of these cells, as seen by scanning electron microscopy, is shown in four species of ostariophysan teleosts, and is compared with the morphology of the pores of external taste buds. The apical processes of the gustatory cells are simple in form in all cases so far investigated in gnathostome fishes, but in some cases the solitary sensory cells have apical processes divided distally into a number of smaller processes. In the dipnoan fish Protopterus amphibius , external taste buds have simple blunt gustatory processes protruding through a cap of mucus that covers the taste bud pore. Solitary sensory cells in this species have a bulbous undivided apical process. In the lampreys, the 'end buds' have an apical morphology different from the taste bud pores of teleost fish. Lamprey epidermis has numerous solitary sensory cells each bearing a number of microvilli.     

Gustatory responses to feeding‐ and non‐feeding‐stimulant chemicals, with an emphasis on amino acids, in rainbow trout

Specific receptor and fibre types of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss involved in the detection and discrimination of amino acids and a heterogeneous collection of compounds were investigated by recording the electrical activity of the maxillary branch of the facial nerve innervating taste buds inside the upper jaw. Proline (Pro), alanine (Ala), leucine (Leu), betaine (Bet) and 2‐amino‐3‐guanidinopropionic acid (Agp) were the major amino acids detected by the gustatory system. The two experimental approaches, concentration‐response curves and cross‐adaptations, showed that all amino acids were detected by three independent receptor types: Pro ‐, Agp/Bet ‐ and Leu ‐receptors. Bile acids, the most potent stimulants recorded, were detected by a single receptor type independent of those for amino acids, with threshold concentrations of 10⁻¹² M. Strychnine, quinine and tetrodotoxin may have partially shared a single receptor mechanism. The gustatory sensibility narrowly tuned towards the amino acid spectrum compared to those for a diverse array of non‐feeding stimulant chemicals, combined with feeding behaviour triggered primarily by vision and olfaction, suggest that in rainbow trout, and possibly other salmonid species, gustatory chemical cues, in addition to food finding and intake, play an important role in detecting poisonous prey and substances.     

Developmental time course of peripheral cross‐modal sensory interaction of the trigeminal and gustatory systems

Few sensory modalities appear to engage in cross‐modal interactions within the peripheral nervous system, making the integrated relationship between the peripheral gustatory and trigeminal systems an ideal model for investigating cross‐sensory support. The present study examined taste system anatomy following unilateral transection of the trigeminal lingual nerve (LX) while leaving the gustatory chorda tympani intact. At 10, 25, or 65 days of age, rats underwent LX with outcomes assessed following various survival times. Fungiform papillae were classified by morphological feature using surface analysis. Taste bud volumes were calculated from histological sections of the anterior tongue. Differences in papillae morphology were evident by 2 days post‐transection of P10 rats and by 8 days post in P25 rats. When transected at P65, animals never exhibited statistically significant morphological changes. After LX at P10, fewer taste buds were present on the transected side following 16 and 24 days survival time and remaining taste buds were smaller than on the intact side. In P25 and P65 animals, taste bud volumes were reduced on the denervated side by 8 and 16 days postsurgery, respectively. By 50 days post‐transection, taste buds of P10 animals had not recovered in size; however, all observed changes in papillae morphology and taste buds subsided in P25 and P65 rats. Results indicate that LX impacts taste receptor cells and alters epithelial morphology of fungiform papillae, particularly during early development. These findings highlight dual roles for the lingual nerve in the maintenance of both gustatory and non‐gustatory tissues on the anterior tongue. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 626–641, 2016     

Sorting food from stones: the vagal taste system in Goldfish, Carassius auratus

The sense of taste, although a relatively undistinguished sensory modality in most mammals, is a highly developed sense in many fishes, e.g., catfish, gadids, and carps including goldfish. In these species, the amount of neural tissue devoted to this modality may approach 20% of the entire brain mass, reflecting an enormous number of taste buds scattered across the external surface of the animal as well as within the oral cavity. The primary sensory nuclei for taste form a longitudinal column of nuclei along the dorsomedial surface of the medulla. Within this column of gustatory nuclei, the sensory system is represented as a fine-grain somatotopic map, with external body parts being represented rostrally within the column, and oropharyngeal surfaces being represented caudally. Goldfish have a specialization of the oral cavity, the palatal organ, which enables them to sort food particles from particulate substrate material such as gravel. The palatal organ taste information reaches the large, vagal lobe with a complex laminar and columnar organization. This lobe also supports a radially-organized reflex system which activates the musculature of the palatal organ to effect the sorting operation. The stereotyped, laminated structure of this system in goldfish has facilitated studies of the circuitry and neurotransmitter systems underlying the goldfish’s ability to sort food from stones.     

齐口裂腹鱼味蕾及上皮细胞的扫描电镜观察

本文报道扫描电镜对齐口裂腹鱼的味蕾在须、口咽腔、食道的分布和表面形态的观察。结果表明在须、唇、颌、口腔顶壁、咽、舌、食道均有味蕾分布,且在表面形态上呈现多态性。上皮细胞表面有微脊。     

Aspects of early development in the Adriatic sturgeon Acipenser naccarii

This study investigates the development of the sensory-cutaneous apparatus and digestive tract of Adriatic sturgeon (Acipenser naccarii). Light and electron microscopy observations were carried out on various developmental stages, from hatching to 180 days old.
At hatching, sturgeon pre-larvae exhibit differentiation of olfactory sensory cells. By day 4 taste buds are differentiated on lips and barbels. At 12 days after hatching, the larvae are equipped with an extensive ventral cephalic sensory apparatus. Electrosensory organs are arranged in regular lines in the rostral ventral region, and taste receptors are organised in parallel rows on and inside the lips as well as on the external side of the barbel. Ventral free neuromasts are positioned in rostral grooves. The retina is completely differentiated in each stratum. At this stage, larvae show canine-like teeth on lips and pharynx, and the specific mucosae of the different digestive regions are differentiated. By day 36 the canine-like teeth are located exclusively on the tongue and roof of the buccal cavity, and the mouth is protrusible. At 180 days differentiation is still not completed, and although teeth have disappeared from the palate, they still persist along a central line on the tongue.     

Taste buds on the lips and mouth of some blenniid and gobiid fishes: comparative distribution and morphology

Analysis of taste buds (TB) on the lips and oropharyngeal cavity in several species of gobies (Gobiidae) and blennies (Blenniidae) from the Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Seychelles, revealed three types of these organs: types I and II, which protrude above the surrounding epithelium on lobules of various forms, and type III, which terminate on the level of the epithelium. These TB are composed of either light or dark sensory cells with apical microvillar extensions, and of basal cells situated at the TB base. Synaptic junctions occur between the TB cells and the sub‐epithelial sensory nerves. Numerical distribution and morphology of TB on the lips and in the oral cavity of the species studied revealed patterns that are specific on both species and family levels. In most of the gobies the lips, jaws and oral breathing valves are usually covered by numerous lobules, each of which bears papillae with two to seven type I and type II TB, reaching a total of up to 7500 buds on the lips and in the oropharyngeal cavity in these fishes. The number of TB increases with growth (age) of the fish, and the combined and total sensory area of TB in an adult fish can reach up to 80 000 μm². In contrast, in blennies the anterior region of the oral cavity is seldom lobulated, with far fewer TB; the majority of TB are found in the more posterior region. It is postulated that these differences in TB density and location between gobies and blennies are connected to differences in foraging strategies and diet, and may represent ecomorphological adaptations.     

Taste attractiveness of different hydrobionts for roach Rutilus rutilus, bitterling Rhodeus sericeus amarus, and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

Comparative study of the taste attractiveness of different aquatic invertebrates (daphnids Daphnia longispina and D. pulex, larvae of Chironomidae, whirligig Gyrinus marinus, water skaters Gerris spp.) and plants (duckweed Lemna minor, filamentous alga Cladophora sp.) for roach Rutilus rutilus, bitterling Rhodeus sericeus amarus, and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss has been performed. Roach’s taste preferences for agar-agar pellets, containing the aqueous extracts of the organisms under study, varies from maximum (daphnids, filamentous alga, larvae of chironomids) to minimum (duckweed) or it can be absent (whirligig). Different taste preferences to pellets containing the extracts of aquatic organisms has been also found in bitterling (daphnids, larvae of chironomids, water skaters) but not in rainbow trout (daphnids, water skaters). It has been suggested that whirligigs and water skaters do not contain any deterrent substances ensuring chemical defense from predators. It has been demonstrated that intraoral gustatory reception of food items follows two alternative behavioral stereotypes that are different from each other in the time during which food items are retained in the oral cavity and the number of manipulations (subsequent grasps of a food item) during the perception process. We discuss the importance of gustatory reception as the major sensory mechanism that ensures feeding selectivity of fish and decreases interspecific competition over food.     

Analysis of the embryonic lineage of vertebrate taste buds

In all vertebrates, taste buds are the last sensory receptorsto appear late in embryonic development. They are thought toarise locally from the oropharyngeal epithelium, although thishypothesis has not been tested experimentally. Alternatively,taste buds have been proposed to arise from neurocctodermalcells that migrate from peripheral neurogenic sources to theoropharyngeal epithelium and give rise to taste bud precursorcells. In order to determine the exact embryonic lineage ofthe cells of vertebrate taste buds, we have employed a combinationof endogenous and exogenous cell marking techniques to followneuroectodermal and endodermal cells through development. Wefind, in the ambystomatid salamander used in our studies, tastebuds arise locally within the endodermally-derived epitheliumlining the oropharyngeal cavity, and do not receive a contributionfrom neuroectodermal sources, i.e. ectodermal placodes or cephalicneural crest.     

Light and Electron (SEM,TEM) Microscopy of Taste Buds in the Tench Tinca tinca (Pisces: Cyprinidae)

Abstract The ultrastructure and quantitative distribution of the taste buds (TBs) were studied in the oropharyngeal cavity and in skin from the head of the tench. All TBs are of similar structure, following an orthodox plan: the basal cells (1–2) are the basis of the bud, and vertically elongated gustatory cells and supporting cells span from the basal membrane to the apex where they form a sensory zone (known as the gustatory pore). The basal cells have finger-like processes pointing towards the nerve plexus. They do not show any hemidesmosomal connections with the basal membrane. Typical afferent synaptic contacts were found only at the basal cells and gustatory cells while no such contacts were found at the supporting cells. The highest concentration of TBs (up to 170 TBs mm ²) occurs in the epithelial lining of the distal part of the pharynx, the least (12 TBs mm ²) in the epidermis of the distal part of the head. The tops of most TBs protrude above the epithelium but their gustatory pores are slightly sunken, thereby protecting the apical processes of the gustatory cells from mechanical stimulation.     

Building sensory receptors on the tongue

Neurotrophins, neurotrophin receptors and sensory neurons are required for the development of lingual sense organs. For example, neurotrophin 3 sustains lingual somatosensory neurons. In the traditional view, sensory axons will terminate where neurotrophin expression is most pronounced. Yet, lingual somatosensory axons characteristically terminate in each filiform papilla and in each somatosensory prominence within a cluster of cells expressing the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR), rather than terminating among the adjacent cells that secrete neurotrophin 3. The p75NTR on special specialized clusters of epithelial cells may promote axonal arborization in vivo since its over-expression by fibroblasts enhances neurite outgrowth from overlying somatosensory neurons in vitro. Two classical observations have implicated gustatory neurons in the development and maintenance of mammalian taste buds—the early arrival times of embryonic innervation and the loss of taste buds after their denervation in adults. In the modern era more than a dozen experimental studies have used early denervation or neurotrophin gene mutations to evaluate mammalian gustatory organ development. Necessary for taste organ development, brain-derived neurotrophic factor sustains developing gustatory neurons. The cardinal conclusion is readily summarized: taste buds in the palate and tongue are induced by innervation. Taste buds are unstable: the death and birth of taste receptor cells relentlessly remodels synaptic connections. As receptor cells turn over, the sensory code for taste quality is probably stabilized by selective synapse formation between each type of gustatory axon and its matching taste receptor cell. We anticipate important new discoveries of molecular interactions among the epithelium, the underlying mesenchyme and gustatory innervation that build the gustatory papillae, their specialized epithelial cells, and the resulting taste buds.     

Adaptive variability of the gustatory system receptor part of the carp Cyprinus carpio (Cyprinidae, Teleostei) after chronic anosmia

To confirm the existence in fish of the olfactogustatory interactions of adaptive significance, the study was performed of reactions of the receptor part of the carp gustatory system to the complete olfactory deafferentation with use of the method of scanning electron microscopy. Peculiarities of morphological changes of the taste receptor apparatus of the external and oral localization were revealed, and the dynamic of development of the taste receptor adaptive changes was traced for 1–9 months after production of anosmia. Receptors of the intraoral gustatory system had reactions of low statistical significance which were delayed in time by 5–6 months. The receptor apparatus of the external gustatory system receptors of the intraoral taste system showed pronounced hypertrophic changes that appeared since 2–3 months after the beginning of anosmia. The changes consisted in an increase of the area of the taste bud (TB) sensory field and of their number in the sensory zones of the maxillary and mandibular parts. The taste receptors located in the maxillary barbels and in the mandible gular zone had the most expressed reactions to the olfactory deafferentation. In the fish with anosmia, formation of the additional structures of the “external taste” was detected in the form of epidermal processes under the lower lip, which were covered with taste papillae. Thus, it has been shown that the fish olfactory and gustatory systems are functionally interrelated; under conditions of olfactory deprivation the external gustatory system is able to undergo compensatory morphofunctional changes aimed at vicariation of the lost distant chemical reception.     

Rat gustatory neurons in the geniculate ganglion express glutamate receptor subunits

Taste receptor cells are innervated by primary gustatory neurons that relay sensory information to the central nervous system. The transmitter(s) at synapses between taste receptor cells and primary afferent fibers is (are) not yet known. By analogy with other sensory organs, glutamate might a transmitter in taste buds. We examined the presence of AMPA and NMDA receptor subunits in rat gustatory primary neurons in the ganglion that innervates the anterior tongue (geniculate ganglion). AMPA and NMDA type subunits were immunohistochemically detected with antibodies against GluR1, GluR2, GluR2/3, GluR4 and NR1 subunits. Gustatory neurons were specifically identified by retrograde tracing with fluorogold from injections made into the anterior portion of the tongue. Most gustatory neurons in the geniculate ganglion were strongly immunoreactive for GluR2/3 (68%), GluR4 (78%) or NR1 (71%). GluR1 was seen in few cells (16%). We further examined if glutamate receptors were present in the peripheral terminals of primary gustatory neurons in taste buds. Many axonal varicosities in fungiform and vallate taste buds were immunoreactive for GluR2/3 but not for NR1. We conclude that gustatory neurons express glutamate receptors and that glutamate receptors of the AMPA type are likely targeted to synapses within taste buds.