Electron Microscopic Studies on the Synaptic Region of the Taste Organ of Carps and Frogs

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Abstract
The fine structure of the taste organ in carps and frogs was studied by electron microscopy. In the terminal bud on the carp barbels two different types of synapses are usually found near the basal region of the bud ; one is seen between the receptor cell and the nerve axon, where a small protrusion from the nerve axon occurs, and the other in several areas along the contact surface between the basal cell and the nerve axon. Empty vesicles (400—600 Å in diameter), which are common in both types of synapses, are clustered at the presynaptic side of the apposed membranes which show distinctive thickening ank increased density. Also on the tongue of the frog the receptor cell makes a clear synaptic contact with the nerve ending. But the corresponding vesicle (500—900 Å in diameter) in the synaptic region of the frog is a so-called “ granulated vesicle rdquo; with a dark core in the center of it. These morphological findings suggest strongly that the synapses in the gustatory receptors of carps and frogs have the structural characteristics of a chemical synapse.

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