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taste receptors are on the 50-150 taste cells found within a taste bud
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the apical part of the taste cell projects into the taste pore, which is in contact with saliva
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tastants must dissolve in the saliva and mucus in order to enter the taste pore
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the basal end of the taste cell forms a synapse with a primary sensory neuron (i.e., receptor → primary afferent)
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each taste cell is sensitive to only type of tastant
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taste cells are replaced ~ every 10 days
- one persistent myth is the idea that different regions of the tongue respond to different tastants; it has been known for some time that taste cells containing receptors for all 5 tastants are found all over the surface of the tongue and throughout the oral cavity
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