Abstract
Joels and Neil1 showed that a high concentration of carbon monoxide in the fluid perfusing the carotid body of a cat produced an increase in discharge rate in the carotid sinus nerve. Carbon monoxide forms an unstable complex with the iron atom in cytochrome oxidase and this is broken down by strong light; illumination of the carotid body perfused with a large concentration of carbon monoxide reduces the intensity of the discharge induced by carbon monoxide. This was interpreted by Joels and Neil1 to indicate the presence of cytochrome oxidase in the carotid body. Lee and Mattenheimer2, however, found only very low cytochrome oxidase activity in the carotid body glomus tissue of slaughterhouse-killed bullocks. The distribution of monoamine oxidase is of interest in connexion with the large concentration of a catecholamine, which appears to be dopamine, in the chemoreceptor or type I glomus cells3, and the possibility of a catecholamine acting as a transmitter in this tissue as suggested by Lever and Lewis4. Carbonic anhydrase activity was found to be high in the glomus tissue by Lee and Mattenheimer2, who used a histochemical method, but they did not examine its distribution within the glomus tissue. Black, McCloskey and Torrance5 showed that inhibiting carbonic anhydrase with sodium acetazolamide slowed the carbon dioxide response of the cat carotid body.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Joels, N., and Neil, E., Arch. Intern. Pharmacodyn., 139, 528 (1962).
Lee, K. D., and Mattenheimer, H., Enzymol. Biol. Clin., 4, 199 (1964).
Fillenz, M., and Woods, R. I., J. Physiol., 186, 39–40P (1966).
Lever, J. D., and Lewis, P. R., J. Physiol., 149, 26P (1959).
Black, A. M. S., McCloskey, D. I., and Torrance, R. W., J. Physiol., 185, 67–68P (1966).
Burstone, M. S., Enzyme Histochemistry and its Applications in the Study of Neoplasms (Academic Press Inc., London, 1962).
Glenner, G. G., Burtner, H. J., and Brown, G. W., J. Histochem. Cytochem., 5, 591 (1957).
Morris, G. C. R., and Swayne, G. W., J. Physiol., 171, 5 (1964)
Pearse, A. G. E., Histochemistry—Theoretical and Applied, 597 (J. and A.Churchill, London, 1960).
Arvy, L., Ann. Histochim., 8, 373 (1963).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
WOODS, R. Distribution of Cytochrome Oxidase, Monoamine Oxidase and Carbonic Anhydrase in the Carotid Body of the Rabbit. Nature 213, 1240 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/2131240a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2131240a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.