Rearrangement of cell types in the rat carotid body neurogenic niche induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia.

The carotid body (CB) is a prototypical acute oxygen (O )-sensing organ that mediates reflex hyperventilation and increased cardiac output in response to hypoxaemia. CB overactivation, secondary to the repeated stimulation produced by the recurrent episodes of intermittent hypoxia, is believed to contribute to the pathogenesis of sympathetic hyperactivity present in sleep apnoea patients. Although CB functional plasticity induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) has been demonstrated, the underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated.

Dynamics and regulation of endocytotic fission pores: role of calcium and dynamin.

Although endocytosis involves the fission pore, a transient structure that produces the scission between vesicle and plasma membranes, the dimensions and dynamics of fission pores remain unclear. Here we report that the pore resistance changes proceed in three distinct phases: an initial phase where the resistance increases at 31.7 ± 2.