Role of Basic FGF and Oxygen in Control of Proliferation, Survival, and Neuronal Differentiation in Carotid Body Chromaffin Cells

Crest-derived glomus cells of the carotid body (CB) are O(2)-sensitive chemoreceptors, which resemble sympathoadrenal (SA) chromaffin cells. In this study, we tested whether perinatal rat glomus cells are sensitive to basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in vitro and whether their sensitivity is regulated by oxygen. In chemically defined medium, bFGF (1-100 ng/ml) caused a significant, dose-dependent increase in the number of surviving …