The chick chorioallantoic membrane promotes survival of co-transplanted rat carotid bodies and nodose ganglia.

Carotid bodies and nodose ganglia, removed from adult rats, were co-implanted onto the chorioallantois of 6- to 12-day chick embryos. Implants were rapidly vascularized and incorporated into the chorioallantoic membrane, where they survived and grew for up to 12 days. The morphological characteristics of grafted tissues were largely preserved. Regenerating axons from nodose neurons invaded the carotid body and contacted some glomus cells through morphologically immature synapses. Thus, the chick chorioallantoic membrane may be a useful substrate to study carotid chemoreceptor-sensory neuron interactions.