The role of TASK-2 channels in CO sensing in zebrafish ().

Peripheral chemosensitivity in fishes is thought to be mediated by serotonin-enriched neuroepithelial cells (NECs) that are localized to the gills of adults and the integument of larvae. In adult zebrafish (), branchial NECs are presumed to mediate the cardiorespiratory reflexes associated with hypoxia or hypercapnia, whereas in larvae, there is indirect evidence linking cutaneous NECs to hypoxic hyperventilation and hypercapnic tachycardia. No study yet has examined the ventilatory response of larval zebrafish to hypercapnia, and regardless of developmental stage, the signaling pathways involved in CO sensing remain unclear. In the mouse, a background potassium channel (TASK-2) contributes to the sensitivity of chemoreceptor cells to CO. Zebrafish possess two TASK-2 channel paralogs, TASK-2 and TASK-2b, encoded by and , respectively. The present study aimed to determine whether TASK-2 channels are expressed in NECs of larval zebrafish and whether they are involved in CO sensing. Using immunohistochemical approaches, TASK-2 protein was observed on the surface of NECs in larvae. Exposure of larvae to hypercapnia caused cardiac and breathing frequencies to increase, and these responses were blunted in fish experiencing TASK-2 and/or TASK-2b knockdown. The results of these experiments suggest that TASK-2 channels are involved in CO sensing by NECs and contribute to the initiation of reflex cardiorespiratory responses during exposure of larvae to hypercapnia.