Term: taste bud Merkel cell
Note: This page represents a term created by the combination ("post-composition") of two ontology terms. For more information on the individual terms, click the hyperlinked name.
Name: taste bud
Synonyms: taste buds
Definition: Pear or onion-shaped intraepithelial sensory endorgans. They sit on a small dermal papilla and consist of modified epithelial cells of different types. The taste buds are located in the mouth, in the oropharyngeal cavity, on the head and on the barbels. They are innervated by either the facial (VII), the glossopharyngeal (IX), or the vagal (X) cranial nerve.
Ontology: Anatomy Ontology [ZFA:0001074]
Name: Merkel cell
Synonyms: Merkel cells
Definition: A modified epidermal cell located in the stratum basale. They are found mostly in areas where sensory perception is acute. Merkel cells are closely associated with an expanded terminal bulb of an afferent myelinated nerve fiber.
Ontology: Anatomy Ontology [ZFA:0009146]