Optical recordings of taste responses from fungiform papillae of mouse in situ.

Single taste buds in mouse fungiform papillae consist of approximately 50 elongated cells (TBCs), where fewer than three TBCs have synaptic contacts with taste nerves. We investigated whether the non-innervated TBCs were chemosensitive using a voltage-sensitive dye, tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester (TMRM), under in situ optical recording conditions. Prior to the optical recordings, we investigated the magnitude and polarity of receptor potentials under in situ whole-cell clamp conditions. In response to 10 mM HCl, several TBCs were depolarized by approximately 25 mV and elicited action potentials, while other TBCs were hyperpolarized by approximately 12 mV. The TBCs eliciting hyperpolarizing receptor potentials also generated action potentials on electrical stimulation. A mixture of 100 mM NaCl, 10 mM HCl and 500 mM sucrose depolarized six TBCs and hyperpolarized another three TBCs out of 13 identified TBCs in a taste bud viewed by optical section. In an optical section of another taste bud, 1 M NaCl depolarized five TBCs and hyperpolarized another two TBCs out of 11 identified TBCs. The number of chemosensitive TBCs was much larger than the number of innervated TBCs in a taste bud, indicating the existence of chemosensitivity in non-innervated TBCs. There was a tendency for TBCs eliciting the same polarity of receptor potential to occur together in taste buds. We discuss the role of non-innervated TBCs in taste information processing.