ajpcell.physiology.org.pdf

Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 287: C1493–C1526, 2004; doi:10.1152/ajpcell.00282.2004. Invited Review Cellular mechanisms involved in CO2 and acid signaling in chemosensitive neurons Robert W. Putnam, Jessica A. Filosa, and Nicola A. Ritucci Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Wright State University School of Medicine, Dayton, Ohio 45435 Putnam, Robert W., Jessica A. Filosa, and Nicola A. Ritucci. Cellular mechanisms involved in CO2 and acid signaling in chemosensitive neurons. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 287: C1493–C1526, 2004; doi:10.1152/ajpcell.00282.2004.— An increase in CO2/H is a major stimulus for increased ventilation and is sensed by specialized brain stem neurons called central chemosensitive neurons. These neurons appear to be spread among numerous brain stem regions, and neurons from different regions have different levels of chemosensitivity. Early studies implicated changes of pH as playing a role in chemosensitive signaling, most likely by inhibiting a K channel, depolarizing chemosensitive neurons, and thereby increas- ing their firing rate. Considerable progress has been made over the past decade in understanding the cellular mechanisms of chemosensitive signaling using reduced preparations. Recent evidence has pointed to an important role of changes of intracellular pH in the response of central chemosensitive n