Testing Acute Oxygen Sensing in Genetically Modified Mice: Plethysmography and Amperometry.

Monitoring responsiveness to acute hypoxia of whole animals and single cells is essential to investigate the nature of the mechanisms underlying oxygen (O) sensing. Here we describe the protocols followed in our laboratory to evaluate the ventilatory response to hypoxia in normal and genetically modified animals. We also describe the amperometric technique used to monitor single-cell catecholamine release from chemoreceptor cells in carotid body and adrenal medulla slices.