Mechanical sensitivity of carotid body glomus cells.

Cultured glomus cells from rat carotid bodies were prepared for optical studies of intracellular calcium using the Fura-2 dye. The baseline calcium had a mean of about 40 nM showing either a relatively steady level or large calcium spikes. Some cells did not show measurable levels of [Ca(2+)](i).

Electric synapses in the carotid body-nerve complex.

Slices of rat carotid bodies, or cultured glomus cells, were used to study intercellular coupling. This phenomenon occurs because gap junctions allow passage of currents and dyes from one cell to another. There is a two-way resistive coupling between glomus cells (GC/GC coupling), which is accompanied by activity of intercellular channels.

Chemical and electric transmission in the carotid body chemoreceptor complex.

Carotid body chemoreceptors are complex secondary receptors. There are chemical and electric connections between glomus cells (GC/GC) and between glomus cells and carotid nerve endings (GC/NE). Chemical secretion of glomus cells is accompanied by GC/GC uncoupling.

Electrophysiological properties of rat nodose ganglion neurons co-transplanted with carotid bodies into the chick chorioallantoic membrane.

The electrophysiological properties of nodose ganglion neurons were evaluated immediately after removing nodose ganglia from young adult rats and 3 to 10 days after nodose ganglia implantation -either alone or co-implanted with carotid bodies- onto the chick chorioallantoic membrane. Implanted and co-implanted nodose neurons were less excitable than acutely recorded nodose neurons. Co-implanted neurons also showed reduced amplitudes for both action potentials and spike after-hyperpolarizations relative to those found in.