Cells in the female retrotrapezoid region upregulate c-fos in response to 10%, but not 5%, carbon dioxide

Abstract

The retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) is thought to regulate breathing in response to changes in blood carbon dioxide (CO 2), and to make a vital contribution to respiratory drive, especially during sleep. However, cells in the female RTN fail to upregulate c-fos in response to low level CO 2 exposure, while cells in the male RTN have a robust upregulation of c-fos in response to low level CO 2 exposure. In this study, we examined the possibility that the female RTN has a higher threshold for c-fos upregulation in response to CO 2. Following exposure of Fos-Tau-LacZ (FTL) transgenic mice to 10% CO 2, c-fos was upregulated in just as many cells in the female as in the male RTN. In addition, the ma..