Abnormal respiration under hyperoxia in TASK-1/3 potassium channel double knockout mice

In summary, these measurements showed a grossly normal respiration of TASK-3−/− mice and a respiratory phenotype of TASK-1/3−/− mice that was characterized by a markedly enhanced tidal volume, similar to the one observed in TASK-1−/− mice. The abnormal hyperoxia response, exclusively found in TASK-1/3−/− double mutant mice, indicates that both TASK-1 and TASK-3 are essential for the hyperoxia-induced hypoventilation. The peculiar respiratory phenotype of TASK-1/3 knockout mice is reminiscent of the respiration of animals with long-term carotid body dysfunction. Taken together, TASK-1 and TASK-3 appear to serve specific and distinct roles in the complex processes underlying chemoreception and respiratory control.