Persistence of Taste Organs in Tongue Grafted to Liver

Abstract

Summary

Tongue-tips were transplanted autoplastically to the liver in Triturus v. viridescens to effect denervation of the taste organs. All well-vascularized grafts that retained a normally thick epithelium contained histologically normal taste organs when examined 4 months after transplantation. This fact indicates that these taste organs were independent of any trophic action from nerve fibers of central origin. The number of persistent taste organs is correlated with the amount of normal epithelium. It is suggested that differences in the time of reestablishment of circulation in the grafts may account for the variation found in the type of epithelium (thin, membranous or normal) and, therefore, may also account for the variation in number of taste organs persisting.