Abstract
The epithelium of the circumvallate papillae of rat tongues was stripped off by treatment with 0.005% elastase in a state when many taste buds were present. The taste buds were isolated from the stripped epithelium by further treatment with 0.005% elastase and 0.08% trypsin. A protein which was thought to be characteristic of taste buds was found from semimicro disc polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic studies of the stripped epithelia with and without taste buds. This result was supported by micro disc polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic studies of isolated taste buds.