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Developing zebrafish utilize taste-signaling pathways for oxygen chemoreception.

Yihang Kevin Pan¹, Steve F Perry¹

¹University of Ottawa, Department of Biology, 10 Marie-Curie Private, Ottawa, ON K1N 9A4, Canada.

Current Biology : CB

|September 11, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Animals sense oxygen levels using taste pathways. Merkel-like cells detect low oxygen, triggering the hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) via taste signaling, crucial for breathing regulation.

Keywords:

Merkel-like cells O(2) chemoreception area postrema calcium imaging cranial nerves hypoxia hypoxic ventilatory response taste buds zebrafish

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Area of Science:

Physiology
Neuroscience
Sensory Biology

Background:

Animals must detect environmental oxygen (O2) levels for survival.
The hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) is a critical physiological reflex to low O2 (hypoxia).

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if taste-signaling pathways are involved in O2 sensing and HVR activation.
To identify the specific cells and neural pathways mediating O2 detection.

Main Methods:

Utilized larval zebrafish as a model organism.
Employed in vivo calcium imaging to monitor cellular activity.
Investigated neural signaling from cranial nerves IX and X to the hindbrain.

Main Results:

Merkel-like cells (MLCs) were identified as O2 chemoreceptor cells in zebrafish.
MLCs showed increased Ca2+ activity in response to hypoxia, driving the HVR.
MLCs transmit O2 signals to cranial nerves IX/X, activating hindbrain pathways and causing hyperventilation.

Conclusions:

Taste-signaling pathways, involving MLCs, are essential for O2 sensing and initiating the HVR.
This study demonstrates a novel O2 signaling pathway from taste receptors to a critical physiological reflex.