Oxygen-Sensitive Potassium Channels in Chemoreceptor Cell Physiology

• Published in: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Vol. 1177; no. 1; pp. 82 - 88
• Main Authors: Gonzalez, Constancio, Vaquero, Luis M., López-López, José Ramón, Pérez-García, M. Teresa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01.10.2009
• Subjects: Accumulation; Cascades; Channels; chemoreceptor cells; Chemoreceptors; Effectors; Heterogeneity; hypoxia; Ion channels; O2 sensor; O2-sensitive K+ channels; Sensors
• ISSN: 0077-8923; 1749-6632
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.05037.x

The characterization of the molecular mechanisms involved in low‐oxygen chemotransduction has been an active field of research since the first description of an oxygen‐sensitive K+ channel in rabbit carotid body (CB) chemoreceptor cells. As a result, a large number of components of the transduction cascade, from O2 sensors to O2‐sensitive ion channels, have been found. Although the endpoints of the process are analogous, the heterogeneity of the elements involved in the different chemoreceptor tissues precludes a unifying theory of hypoxic signaling, and it has been a source of controversy. However, when these molecular constituents of the hypoxic cascade are brought back to their physiological context, it becomes clear that the diversity of mechanisms is necessary to build up an integrated cellular response that demands the concerted action of several O2 sensors and several effectors.