Distribution and Probable Functional Role of Taste Buds Located in the Intermediate Epithelium on the Mouse Arytenoid Region

The region of the apices of the arytenoid cartilage, provisionally denominated the "arytenoid region", is richly supplied with taste buds which are known to appear early in develops in man (Grossmann, 1921; Kolmer, 1927; Lalonde and Eglitis, 1961) and sheep (Bradly et al., 1980). It is well known that prolonged and sometimes fatal apnoea is initiated reflexly in new-born sheep breathing through a tracheostomy by the introduction into the larynx of distilled water (Johnson et al., 1973). Therefore, the taste buds are considered to mediate the reflex responses of apnoea and swallowing during chemical stimulation of the larynx, and to have a possible role in the sudden infant death syndrome. Furthermore, the mouse arytenoid region is covered with the "intermediate epithelium" (Nakano, 1986). The epithelium must be of interest, because it forms the junction between the respiratory system and the digestive one and pathologically it seems to be origin of some types of carcinoma. In spite of its clinical and histological importance as described above, the arytenoid region has been little studied. This paper reports the distribution of the taste buds in the mouse arytenoid region to discuss their probable functional role, and the relationships between the taste pores and the surface appearance of the epithelium.