title: Structural and functional differences of the carotid body between DBA/2J and A/J strains of mice.
abstract: In a previous study, DBA/2J and A/J inbred mice showed extremely different hypoxic ventilatory responses, suggesting variations in their carotid bodies. We have assessed the morphological and functional differences of the carotid bodies in these mice. Histological examination revealed a clearly delineated carotid body only in the DBA/2J mice. Many typical glomus cells and glomeruli appeared in the DBA/2J but not in the A/J mice. The size of the carotid body in the DBA/2J and A/J mice was 6.3 +/- 0.5 x 10(6) and 1.5 +/- 0.3 x 10(6) micro m(3), respectively. The area immunostained for tyrosine hydroxylase, an estimation of the glomus cell quantity, was four times larger in the DBA/2J mice than in the A/J mice. The individual data points in the DBA/2J mice segregated from those in the A/J mice. ACh increased intracellular Ca(2+) in most clusters (81%) of cultured carotid body cells from the DBA/2J mice, but only in 18% of clusters in the A/J mice. These data suggest that genetic determinants account for the strain differences in the structure and function of the carotid body.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Balbir
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schofield
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Coram
authors.forename: Clarke G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Tankersley
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.forename: Christopher P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
authors.forename: Machiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shirahata
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002344:Carotid Body / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D000109:Acetylcholine; D002118:Calcium