Carbonic Anhydrase is Associated with Taste Buds in Rat Tongue

A modification of Hansson's histochemical technique was used to reveal carbonic anhydrase activity in mounted cryostat sections of the circumvallate papillae from rat tongue. An intensely positive reaction was found at the level of the neck of the papilla, associated with the taste buds. Lingual glands also contained abundant carbonic anhydrase activity. The presence of carbonic anhydrase in taste buds, as well as our previous observation that it is found in a population of olfactory receptor cells, may indicate a role for the enzyme in gustative and olfactory phenomena.