Ultrastructure des bourgeons du goût du téléostéen marin Dicentrarchus labrax L.

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Abstract
The taste buds of the oropharyngeal cavity of the bass, Dicentrarchus labrax L., were examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Each bud consists of a pear-shaped grouping of clear cells, dark cells, and basal cells, sunk into the epidermis and set on a projection of the underlying dermis, the dermal papilla. The clear cells contain abundant smooth endoplasmic reticulum and numerous mitochondria, as well as microtubules; they end in a single large apical microvillosity. Dark cells are packed with microfilaments and contain many secretory vesicles; the tip of each of these cells consists of numerous small microvilli. These two categories of cells are closely attached to one another and opaque cells are further attached to the basal lamina by hemidesmosomes. The basal cells and the extremities of the opaque cells are always close together but they are never attached by specialized junctions. The three types of cells contained in the taste buds are linked by synaptic contacts to the myelin-free nervous fibers that form an important network system in the lower part of the organ. These structures are compared to their homologues in other fishes and the respective functions of the different cell categories are discussed.[Journal translation]