Glomus cell

Not to be confused with the glomus body found in the dermis layer of the skin.
The carotid body is not labelled but is located within the wall of the internal carotid artery near the bifurcation of the common carotid artery. Glomus type I cells are the chemoreceptor cells found in the carotid body.

Glomus cells are the cell type mainly located in the carotid bodies and aortic bodies. Glomus type I cells are peripheral chemoreceptors which sense the oxygen, carbon dioxide and pH levels of the blood. When there is a decrease in the blood's pH, a decrease in oxygen (pO2), or an increase in carbon dioxide (pCO2), the carotid bodies and the aortic bodies signal the dorsal respiratory group in the medulla oblongata to increase the volume and rate of breathing.[1] The glomus cells have a high metabolic rate and good blood perfusion and thus are sensitive to changes in arterial blood gas tension. Glomus type II cells are sustentacular cells having a similar supportive function to glial cells.[2][3][4]

  1. ^ Lahiri S, Semenza G, Prabhakar NR, eds. (2003). Oxygen sensing : responses and adaptation to Hypoxia. New York: Dekker. pp. 200, 232. ISBN 978-0824709600.
  2. ^ Pearse AG, Polak JM, Rost FW, Fontaine J, Le Lièvre C, Le Douarin N (1973). "Demonstration of the neural crest origin of type I (APUD) cells in the avian carotid body, using a cytochemical marker system". Histochemie. 34 (3): 191–203. doi:10.1007/bf00303435. PMID 4693636. S2CID 25437552.
  3. ^ Lawson, W (January 1980). "The neuroendocrine nature of the glomus cells: an experimental, ultrastructural, and histochemical tissue culture study". The Laryngoscope. 90 (1): 120–44. doi:10.1288/00005537-198001000-00014. PMID 6243386. S2CID 13149248.
  4. ^ Eyzaguirre, C; Fidone, SJ (November 1980). "Transduction mechanisms in carotid body: glomus cells, putative neurotransmitters, and nerve endings". The American Journal of Physiology. 239 (5): C135-52. doi:10.1152/ajpcell.1980.239.5.C135. PMID 6108075.