Mechanisms of taste bud cell differentiation/ Establishment of cell culture system from postmitotic taste bud precursor cells

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26462818
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Functional basic dentistry
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: Hirohito Miura 鹿児島大学, 医歯学域歯学系, 准教授 (80353936)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): KUSAKABE YUKO 国立研究開発法人農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構, 食品研究部門食品健康機能研究領域, ユニット長 (90353937)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 味覚 / 細胞分化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Taste bud cells are derived from bipotential progenitor cells that give rise to both taste bud cells and surrounding keratinocytes. Sox2 is reported to be expressed intensely in taste bud primordia and is proposed to regulate the differentiation of bipotential progenitor cells into taste bud cells. However, detailed expression of Sox2 remained unclear. In this study, Sox2 expression was examined together with Prox1, which marks taste bud primordia, during taste bud development in the fungiform (FF), circumvallate (CV) and soft palate (SP) areas. The intense Sox2 was restricted to taste bud primordia at the emergence of taste bud primordia only in the FF forming area but not in the other areas. The intense Sox2 was restricted to taste bud cells and surrounding cells in all areas examined as development progressed. The expression patterns support that Sox2 does not serve as a cell fate selector between taste bud cells and surrounding keratinocytes but rather contribute to them both.

Free Research Field

口腔生理学