Genetic map of the carotid body stem cell niche with focus on the O₂-sensing chemoreceptor cell lineage.

ABSTRACT: Adaptive homeostatic responses to oxygen (O₂) deficiency (hypoxia) are essential for survival. The prototypical acute O₂-sensing organ is the carotid body (CB), a neural crest-derived tissue with chemoreceptor glomus cells that express hypoxia-inhibited K⁺ channels. This, in turn, leads to neurotransmitter release and the activation of nerve fibers terminating in the brainstem, evoking hyperventilation. The adult CB contains a population of multipotent stem cells capable of proliferating and differentiating into new chemoreceptor cells, supporting its growth during acclimatization to chronic hypoxia. The responsiveness of glomus cells to hypoxia relies on the constitutive expression of HIF2α and a set of HIF2α-dependent genes, which define a mitochondria-to

SUBMITTER: Santamaria-Santiago A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12304321 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature