Monoamines of taste buds in the fungiform and foliate papillae of the mouse.

After administration of monoamine precursors, taste buds in the fungiform and foliate papillae of the mouse were observed by means of electron microscopy and fluorescence histochemistry. The taste buds in the fungiform papillae differed in the ultrastructure of their apical regions from those in the foliate papillae, which contained the same taste buds as those described in the circumvallate papillae. The gustatory cells in both the fungiform and foliate papillae were capable of taking up monoamine precursors, although this ability was greater in the latter papillae. The results suggest that, not only in the circumvallate papillae but also in both the foliate and fungiform papillae, monoamines might be involved in neurotransmission from the gustatory cells to the nerves.