Distribution of transient receptor potential channels in the rat carotid chemosensory pathway

Glomus cells in the carotid body respond to decreases in oxygen tension of the blood and transmit this sensory information in the carotid sinus nerve to the brain via neurons in the petrosal ganglion. G-protein-coupled membrane receptors linked to phospholipase C may play an important role in this response through the activation of the cation channels formed by the transient receptor potential (TRP) proteins. In the present study, expression of TRPC proteins in the rat carotid body and petrosal ganglion was examined using immunohistochemical techniques. TRPC3, TRPC4, TRPC5, TRPC6, and TRPC7 were present in neurons throughout the ganglion. TRPC1 was expressed in only 28% of petrosal neurons, and of this population, 45% were tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive, accounting for essentially all the TH-expressing neurons in the ganglion. Because TH-positive neurons project to the carotid body, this result suggests that TRPC1 is selectively associated with the chemosensory pathway. Confocal images through the carotid body showed that TRPC1/3/4/5/6 proteins localize to the carotid sinus nerve fibers, some of which were immunoreactive to an anti-neurofilament (NF) antibody cocktail. TRPC1 and TRPC3 were present in both NF-positive and NF-negative fibers, whereas TPRC4, TRPC5, and TRPC6 expression was primarily localized to NF-negative fibers. Only TRPC1 and TRPC4 were localized in the afferent nerve terminals that encircle individual glomus cells. TRPC7 was not expressed in sensory fibers. All the TRPC proteins studied were present in type I glomus cells. Although their role as receptor-activated cation channels in the chemosensory pathway is yet to be established, the presence of TRPC channels in glomus cells and sensory nerves of the carotid body suggests a role in facilitating and/or sustaining the hypoxic response.