Acutely Administered Leptin Increases [Ca2+] i and BK Ca Currents But Does Not Alter Chemosensory Behavior in Rat Carotid Body Type I Cells.

Obesity related pathologies are the health care crisis of our generation. The fat cell derived adipokine leptin has been shown to be a central stimulant of respiration. Very high levels of leptin, however, are associated with the depressed ventilatory phenotype observed in obesity hypoventilation syndrome.

The CamKKβ Inhibitor STO609 Causes Artefacts in Calcium Imaging and Selectively Inhibits BKCa in Mouse Carotid Body Type I Cells.

It has previously been reported that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) may be critical for hypoxic chemotransduction in carotid body type I cells. This study sought to determine the importance of the regulatory upstream kinase of AMPK, CamKKβ, in the acute response to hypoxia in isolated mouse type I cells.Initial data indicated several previously unreported artefacts associated with using the CamKKβ inhibitor STO609 and Ca(2+) imaging techniques.