Morphology of GNAT3-immunoreactive chemosensory cells in the rat larynx

The upper airways play important roles in respiratory defensive reflexes. Although solitary chemosensory cells and chemosensory cell clusters have been reported in the laryngeal mucosa of mammalian species, the distribution and cellular morphology of chemosensory cells remain unclear. In the present study, the distribution and morphology of solitary chemosensory cells and chemosensory cell clusters were examined by immunofluorescence for GNAT3 on whole-mount preparations of the rat laryngeal mucosa. Electrophysiological experiments were performed to analyze the respiratory reflexes evoked by bitter stimuli to the laryngeal cavity. In the whole area of the laryngeal mucosa, the numbers of GNAT3-immunoreactive solitary chemosensory cells and chemosensory clusters were 421.0 ± 20.3 and 62.7 ± 6.9, respectively. GNAT3-immunoreactive solitary chemosensory cells were mainly distributed in the mucosa overlying epiglottic and arytenoid cartilage, and chemosensory clusters were mainly distributed on the edge of the epiglottis and aryepiglottic fold. GNAT3-immunoreactive solitary chemosensory cells were slender with elongated processes or had a flask-like/columnar shape. The number of GNAT3-immunoreactive cells in chemosensory clusters was 6.1 ± 0.4, ranging between 2 and 14 cells. GNAT3-immunoreactive cells in the cluster were variform and the tips of apical processes gathered at one point at the surface of the epithelium. The tips of apical cytoplasmic processes in solitary chemosensory cells and cells in the cluster were immunoreactive for espin, and faced the laryngeal cavity. Physiological experiments showed that the application of 10 mm quinine hydrochloride to the laryngeal cavity decreased respiratory frequency. The present results revealed the chemosensory field of the larynx and the morphological characteristics of the laryngeal chemosensory system for respiratory depression.