Barlow Linda A
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Graduate Program in Cell Biology, Stem Cells and Development and the Rocky Mountain Taste and Smell Center, University of Colorado, School Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
Development. 2015 Nov 1;142(21):3620-9. doi: 10.1242/dev.120394.
The sense of taste, or gustation, is mediated by taste buds, which are housed in specialized taste papillae found in a stereotyped pattern on the surface of the tongue. Each bud, regardless of its location, is a collection of ∼100 cells that belong to at least five different functional classes, which transduce sweet, bitter, salt, sour and umami (the taste of glutamate) signals. Taste receptor cells harbor functional similarities to neurons but, like epithelial cells, are rapidly and continuously renewed throughout adult life. Here, I review recent advances in our understanding of how the pattern of taste buds is established in embryos and discuss the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing taste cell turnover. I also highlight how these findings aid our understanding of how and why many cancer therapies result in taste dysfunction.
味觉，即味觉功能，由味蕾介导，味蕾位于舌表面呈固定模式分布的特殊味觉乳头中。每个味蕾，无论其位置如何，都是由约100个细胞组成的集合体，这些细胞至少属于五种不同的功能类别，它们可转导甜、苦、咸、酸和鲜味（谷氨酸的味道）信号。味觉受体细胞与神经元具有功能上的相似性，但与上皮细胞一样，在成年期会迅速且持续更新。在此，我回顾了我们在理解胚胎中味蕾模式如何形成方面的最新进展，并讨论了控制味觉细胞更新的细胞和分子机制。我还强调了这些发现如何有助于我们理解许多癌症治疗导致味觉功能障碍的方式和原因。
