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GluN2A- and GluN2B-immunoreactive type I cells attached to vesicular glutamate transporter 2-immunoreactive afferent nerve terminals of the rat carotid body

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Abstract

We previously reported the immunoreactivity for the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2) in afferent nerve terminals attached to chemoreceptor type I cells of the carotid body (CB), suggesting that glutamate is released from afferent terminals to stimulate these cells. In the present study, we examined the immunoreactivity for the glutamate-binding subunits of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, GluN2A and GluN2B in the rat CB, and the immunohistochemical relationships between these subunits and VGLUT2. Immunoreactivities for GluN2A and GluN2B were predominant in a subpopulation of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive type I cells rather than those of dopamine beta-hydroxylase-immunoreactive cells. Punctate VGLUT2-immunoreactive products were attached to GluN2A- and GluN2B-immunoreactive type I cells. Bassoon-immunoreactive products were localized between VGLUT2-immunoreactive puncta and type I cells immunoreactive for GluN2A and GluN2B. These results suggest that afferent nerve terminals release glutamate by exocytosis to modulate chemosensory activity of a subpopulation of type I cells via GluN2A- and GluN2B subunits-containing NMDA receptors.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Grants-in-Aid from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science to Takuya Yokoyama (JP19K16482).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy (Cell Biology), Iwate Medical University, 1-1-1 Idaidori, Yahaba-cho, Shiwa-gun, Iwate, 028-3694, Japan

    Takuya Yokoyama, Masato Hirakawa & Tomoyuki Saino

  2. Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Japan

    Yoshio Yamamoto

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  1. Takuya Yokoyama
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  2. Yoshio Yamamoto
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  3. Masato Hirakawa
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  4. Tomoyuki Saino
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Correspondence to Takuya Yokoyama.

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Yokoyama, T., Yamamoto, Y., Hirakawa, M. et al. GluN2A- and GluN2B-immunoreactive type I cells attached to vesicular glutamate transporter 2-immunoreactive afferent nerve terminals of the rat carotid body. Histochem Cell Biol 155, 719–726 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-021-01970-5

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