The whole cell clamp technique was applied to an isolated frog taste cell to examine the detailed membrane properties. The electrical responses could be classified into 3 types. The taste cells of the active type generated a large spike potential under current clamp and a large early inward current followed by a small outward current. The taste cells of the inactive type did not generate a spike but showed a small inward current followed by a large outward current. The distribution of each type was 15, 70 and 15%, respectively.