There have been a number of studies which have categorized cells of feline taste buds: Types I, II, III and IV; however, few studies have examined whether feline taste bud cell types differ from each other histochemically. The goal of the present study is to figure out what kinds of glycoconjugates correspond to the four different types of cells in the taste bud. We have detected glycochains by lectin histochemistry. We have also identified Types II and III by immunohistochemistry. Then, we combined lectin histochemistry and immunohistochemistry to determine which types of cells have which glycochains. In addition, we have compared these reactions in different papillae in the oral cavity: circumvallate papillae, fungiform papillae and epiglottises. Our results demonstrated that glycoconjugates showed a variety of distributions among cells in these papillae, although immunopositive reactions of the proteins involved in the taste transduction showed similar distributions in the taste buds in these papillae. Amongst all, N-acetyllactosamine was the most prominently detected glycoconjugate residue in a subpopulation of Type II (receptor) cells and Type III (pre-synaptic) cells. Our findings suggest that 1) Different localization of glycol-residues in taste buds might be owing to the possibility that different types of cells need different types of glycoconjugates, possibly for the function of cells in the taste buds, and 2) N-acetyllactosamine might play some roles in taste sensation perception and their transfer by Type II and III cells.
