The retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) is a group of neurons located at the medullary surface that express the Phox2b+/Atoh1+ transcriptional signature. I will present evidence for the chemosensory role of the RTN at pre and post-natal stages, based on intersectional genetic strategies to lesion these cells and block or activate their synaptic output. Photostimulation of these neurons entrains the respiratory rhythm. Conversely, abrogating expression of Atoh1 or Phox2b or glutamatergic transmission in these cells curtails the phrenic nerve response to low pH in embryonic preparations and abolishes the respiratory chemoreflex in behaving animals. Thus, the RTN neurons appear a necessary component of the chemoreflex circuitry.
Physiology 2016 (Dublin, Ireland) (2016) Proc Physiol Soc 37, SA085
Research Symposium: The RTN : Views from the embryo
P. Ruffault1, C. Goridis2, J. Brunet2, G. Fortin1
1. CNRS NeuroPSI, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif sur Yvette, France. 2. IBENS, Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris, France.
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