Mechanisms of carotid chemoreceptor resetting after birth: In vitro studies

The results of these studies are consistent with the hypothesis that carotid chemoreceptor type-I cell resetting occurs, at least in part, at the level of the type-I cell. Furthermore, we have developed an in vitro model of newborn type-I cell resetting, in which freshly isolated glomus cells from newborns exhibit small, immature [Ca²⁺](i) response to anoxia, but - after 72 hours in culture - [Ca²⁺](i) responses convert to adult magnitude and profile. Finally, work so far suggests that glomus cell resetting in this model is modulated by oxygen tension. The mechanisms of glomus cell resetting remain unknown. Resetting of O² sensitivity could result from withdrawal of tonic inhibitory influences present in vivo, changes in the oxygen sensor itself, changes in ion channel expression, modulation, and function, or other mechanisms occurring around the time of birth. Additional work is needed to determine the mechanisms of glomus cell resetting at the cellular level, and the role of O₂ tension and other potential modulators of resetting.