The ability of cells to sense and respond to changes in oxygenation underlies a multitude of developmental, physiological, and pathological processes. This volume provides a comprehensive compendium of experimental approaches to the study of oxygen sensing in 48 chapters that are written by leaders in their fields.

The book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the information available on the morphological, physiological and evolutionary aspects of specialized cells distributed within the epithelia of the airways in the vertebrates. A lot of work has been done on the cell and molecular biology of these cells which are regarded as as oxygen recep

This book represents an updated review of the physiology of the carotid body chemoreceptors. It contains results in the topics at the frontiers of future developments in O2-sensing in chemoreceptor cells. Additionally, this volume provides data from studies carried out in other O2-sensing tissues including pulmonary vasculature and erythropoietin producing cells. It is a prime source of information and a guideline for arterial chemoreception researchers.

Lung Epithelial Biology in the Pathogenesis of Pulmonary Disease provides a one-stop resource capturing developments in lung epithelial biology related to basic physiology, pathophysiology, and links to human disease. The book provides access to knowledge of molecular and cellular aspects of lung homeostasis and repair, including the molecular basis of lung epithelial intercellular communication and lung epithelial channels and transporters. Also included is coverage of lung epithelial biology as it relates to fluid balance, basic ion/fluid molecular processes, and human disease. Useful to physician and clinical scientists, the contents of this book compile the important and most current findings about the role of epithelial cells in lung disease. Medical and graduate students, postdoctoral and clinical fellows, as well as clinicians interested in the mechanistic basis for lung disease will benefit from the books examination of principles of lung epithelium functions in physiological condition. - Provides a single source of information on lung epithelial junctions and transporters - Discusses of the role of the epithelium in lung homeostasis and disease - Includes capsule summaries of main conclusions as well as highlights of future directions in the field - Covers the mechanistic basis for lung disease for a range of audiences

This book entitled Arterial Chemoreception is an edited compilation of the oral communications and posters presented at the IXth International Sym posium on Arterial Chemoreceptors held in Park City, Utah, from August 29th to September 3rd, 1988. The Symposium also saw the formal inau guration and first meeting of the International Society for Arterial Che moreception (ISAC). In all there were 87 presentations by 108 scientists from 18 countries. Authors making multiple presentations at Park City combined their results into single, longer papers for this volume. As a result this vol~me offers the reader 63 contributions of state-of-the-art research in this important and exciting field. Inasmuch as oxygen is the substrate sine qua non for the survival of all higher organisms, it is quite understandable that considerable interest sur rounds investigations into mechanisms responsible for detecting dwindling oxygen supplies in the organism. This interest has intensified as the newer techniques of cell, sub-cell, and molecular biology have become available. As detectors of insufficient oxygen in the arterial blood the arterial che moreceptors (carotid and aortic bodies) initiate many cardiopulmonary reflexes geared toward maintaining constant the delivery of oxygen to the tissues. These chemoreceptors, which also trigger secretions from the ad renal glands, are located near the carotid sinus and in the arch of the aorta.

This book offers an updated review of the physiology of the carotid body chemoreceptors. It provides the trends in the field as it contains results in the topics that are at the frontiers of future developments in O2-sensing in chemoreceptor cells.

This monograph sheds new light on pulmonary sensory receptors. Diving into the pulmonary microenvironment, the book focuses on the role of pulmonary neuroepithelial bodies (NEBs) as potential receptors and effectors, able to store and release neurotransmitters. It explores NEBs as potential stem cell niche and highlights the multidisciplinary approach taken to identify and study NEBs, including functional morphological investigation, live cell imaging, genetic models, and laser microdissection combined with gene expression analysis. Complexly organized NEBs are an integral part of the intrapulmonary airway epithelium of all air-breathing vertebrates. For decades a quest has been going on to unravel the functional significance of these intriguing structures that appear to be modified in the course of many pulmonary diseases. The NEB microenvironment (ME) is composed of organoid clusters of pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNECs) that are able to store and release neurotransmitters and are closely contacted by extensive nerve terminals, emphasizing a potential receptor/effector role and probable signalling to the central nervous system. PNECs are largely shielded from the airway lumen by a special type of Clara cells, the Clara-like cells, with potential stem cell characteristics. So far, functional studies of the pulmonary NEB ME revealed that PNECs can be activated by various mechanical and chemical stimuli, resulting in a calcium-mediated release of neurotransmitters. In the past decades, a number of publications have exposed NEBs as potential hypoxia sensors. Recent experimental evidence unveiled that the NEB ME is a quiescent stem cell niche in healthy postnatal lungs, and silencing may involve bone morphogenetic protein signalling mediated by vagal afferents. Only an integrated approach that takes all current information into account will be able to explain the full role of the pulmonary NEB ME in health and disease. This highly informative and carefully presented book, provides insights for researchers, PhD students with an interest in (bio)medical and veterinary science, especially in the field of the autonomic innervation of the lung, chemo-and mechanoreceptors