Putative role of endothelin receptor B in the development and maintenance of taste buds within the circumvallate papillae.

This study aimed to achieve a better understanding of taste receptor cell development relative to endothelin receptor B (ETB) in circumvallate papillae (CVP). ETB localization was assessed by immunohistochemistry during tongue development of the mouse. Co-localization of ETB with taste receptor type III cell marker, Synaptosomal-Associated Protein 25 kDa (SNAP25), was evident in both the developing and adult CVP. ETB was strongly localized in the stromal core region. As development progressed, ETB became localized in the CVP mesenchyme and partially in the epithelium. ETB and SNAP25 co-localization indicates that ETB may regulate innervation from the CVP mesenchyme to taste buds.