The taste buds are composed of heterogeneous cell populations with diverse properties and at different stages of maturity. It is important to define the relationships between cell properties and cell maturity to understand the molecular events involved in intracellular taste signaling. In the present study, in situ hybridization analysis indicated that group IIA phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂‐IIA) is expressed in a subset of taste bud cells. Immunohistochemical studies showed that PLA₂‐IIA was expressed in a subset of cells expressing phospholipase Cβ2, a molecule essential for taste signaling in taste receptor cells, and also that some PLA₂‐IIA‐positive cells expressed gustducin (Ggust), a bitter‐taste‐signaling molecule. Although PLA₂‐IIA and Ggust were expressed at similar frequencies in taste buds, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) chase experiments indicated that the expression of Ggust began 2 days after BrdU injection, whereas the expression of PLA₂‐IIA commenced after 4 days. In addition, PLA₂‐IIA was coexpressed with SNAP‐25, a synaptosomal‐associated protein. These results indicated that PLA₂‐IIA is expressed in mature taste receptor cells that possess exocytotic machinery. J. Comp. Neurol. 494:876–886, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.