Reduced SOX2 contributes to taste bud degeneration in accelerated aging mice
Researchers linked lower SOX2 to reduced neurotrophic factors and structural degradation in the tongue tissue of Klotho-deficient mice.
Mechanisms of ageing and development · Duong MD et al. · Paper published 24 Sep 2026
In Klotho-deficient mice, an animal model of accelerated aging, researchers examined morphological and molecular alterations in the tongue epithelium. Compared to wild-type controls, the mutant mice exhibited reduced taste bud diameter, fewer type II taste cells, and decreased expression of key taste receptors. The tongue tissue also displayed disorganized muscle structure and acinar cell atrophy within minor salivary glands. Molecular analyses demonstrated that SOX2 expression dropped in both the taste buds and tongue epithelium of the aging mice. Knocking down SOX2 decreased the expression of taste-related genes such as Keratin 8 and PLCB2, alongside neurotrophic factors BDNF and NTF3. Conversely, SOX2 overexpression upregulated PLCB2, and tests confirmed that SOX2 directly regulates the NTF3 promoter to help maintain taste buds.
Why it matters
Taste dysfunction frequently occurs with aging and impairs nutrition and quality of life. Identifying the transcriptional role of SOX2 and NTF3 provides mechanistic insight into how sensory-neural structures degenerate in aging oral tissues.
Caveats
The study was conducted in a genetic mouse model of accelerated aging, and these mechanisms may not fully represent normal aging in humans.
Written from the paper’s abstract, and every claim checked against it before publishing. Read the paper for the full methods and data.
The paper
SOX2 and NTF3 expression are associated with taste-bud alterations in aging klotho-deficient mice
Duong MD, Kim SA, Ahn SG
Mechanisms of ageing and development · 24 Sep 2026 · Peer-reviewed
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