ABSTRACT
Embryonic development of the peripheral taste system involves the genesis of receptor cells and sensory neurons, which ultimately connect to form a functional sensory system. Typically, taste buds form only in the epithelium of the mouth and pharynx, and these receptor organs become innervated by sensory axons of the facial, glossopharyngeal, and vagal nerves. Taste buds possess a readily identifiable multicellular morphology, are found in a restricted region of the head, and are innervated by only a small subset of nerves. Thus, the developing taste periphery provides a more easily studied microcosm of the developing peripheral nervous system; by studying taste system development, one then hopes to elucidate general cellular and molecular mechanisms driving peripheral nervous system (PNS) development. Certainly, many of the problems faced by the taste periphery are common to the PNS. How are remote populations of cells (i.e., receptor organs and sensory neurons) generated, and their development temporally coordinated? What determines the pattern of receptor organs, in this case, taste buds? And how do sensory neurons find their taste bud targets such that proper and specific synaptic contacts are made and maintained?
