Molecule regulating blood oxygen is identified
Researchers have identified a molecule responsible for regulating the levels of oxygen in the blood by producing different levels of carbon monoxide and triggering incresed breathing rates when needed.
Calcium-sensitive potassium channels are known to regulate oxygen levels
in several mammalian tissues and in the carotid body these channels modulate
respiratory control.
Researchers have now found that an enzyme called haemeoxygenase-2 forms
part of this channel complex and is responsible for oxygen-sensing and
controlling breathing rates during oxygen deprivation.
Under normal conditions haemeoxygenase-2 uses oxygen to generate carbon
monoxide. The researchers found that under low oxygen conditions haemeoxygenase-2
produces less carbon monoxide, inhibiting the channel cells and triggering
a cascade of signals resulting in an increase in breathing rate.
Professor Kemp, lead researcher of the study, said: “[This discovery]
will certainly lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies
aimed at maximising oxygen delivery when and where it is needed most.”
The paper will appear in the 17 December edition of Science. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
Acrobat
Reader