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Distribution and innervation of putative peripheral arterial chemoreceptors in the red‐eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)

Peripheral arterial chemoreceptors have been isolated to the common carotid artery, aorta, and pulmonary artery of turtles. However, the putative neurotransmitters associated with these chemoreceptors have not yet been described. The goal of the present study was to determine the neurochemical content, innervations, and distribution of putative oxygen‐sensing cells in the central vasculature of turtles and to derive homologies with peripheral arterial chemoreceptors of other vertebrates. We used tract tracing together with immunohistochemical markers for cholinergic cells (vesicular acetylcholine transporter [VAChT]), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH; the rate‐limiting enzyme in catecholamine synthesis), and serotonin (5HT) to identify putative oxygen‐sensing cells and to determine their anatomical relation to branches of the vagus nerve (Xth cranial nerve). We found potential oxygen‐sensing cells in all three chemosensory areas innervated by branches of the Xth cranial nerve. Cells containing either 5HT or VAChT were found in all three sites. The morphology and size of these cells resemble glomus cells found in amphibians, mammals, tortoises, and lizards. Furthermore, we found populations of cholinergic cells located at the base of the aorta and pulmonary artery that are likely involved in efferent regulation of vessel resistance. Catecholamine‐containing cells were not found in any of the putative chemosensitive areas. The presence of 5HT‐ and VAChT‐immunoreactive cells in segments of the common carotid artery, aorta, and pulmonary artery appears to reflect a transition between cells containing the major neurotransmitters seen in fish (5HT) and mammals (ACh and adenosine). J. Comp. Neurol. 523:1399–1418, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.