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An ultrastructural study of the carotid body of horse and dog

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Summary

Carotid body tissue from horse and dog has been investigated ultrastructurally. Several cell types are recognized: glomus cells which are regarded as chemoreceptors, sustentacular cells which enclose the glomus cells, and nerve fibers.

The glomus cells contain electron dense granules which are interpreted as packages of biogenic monoamines. There are both “dark” and “light” glomus cells, the former containing more granules and ribosomes. Invaginations of the plasma membranes as well as free coated vesicles are often seen in the cytoplasm of glomus cells. Nerves within the glomus lobules are generally wrapped by sustentacular cells, but nerve endings are also seen in close contact with the glomus cells. Some endings contain synaptic vesicles as well as a great concentration of mitochondria. The corresponding fibers are thought to be efferent. Another type of contact is interpreted as en passant synapses of afferent fibers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Wenner-Gren Institute for Experimental Biology, University of Stockholm, Sweden

    Roger Höglund

  2. Department of Anatomy and Histology and the Laboratory of Electron microscope of the Royal Veterinary College, Stockholm, Sweden

    Roger Höglund

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  1. Roger Höglund
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Additional information

The author wishes to express his gratitude to Professor L. Nicander who initiated this project and took most of the micrographs and to Professor Nils Obel and associate Professor Gustav Björk at the Royal Veterinary College for their valuable help with the surgical procedure and to Dr. Martin Ritzén of the Royal Medical College for making the tests for biogenic monoamines.

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Höglund, R. An ultrastructural study of the carotid body of horse and dog. Zeitschrift für Zellforschung 76, 568–576 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00339756

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00339756

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