1
|
Lipovsek M. Comparative biology of the amniote vestibular utricle. Hear Res 2024; 448:109035. [PMID: 38763033 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2024.109035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2024] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
The sensory epithelia of the auditory and vestibular systems of vertebrates have shared developmental and evolutionary histories. However, while the auditory epithelia show great variation across vertebrates, the vestibular sensory epithelia appear seemingly more conserved. An exploration of the current knowledge of the comparative biology of the amniote utricle, a vestibular sensory epithelium that senses linear acceleration, shows interesting instances of variability between birds and mammals. The distribution of sensory hair cell types, the position of the line of hair bundle polarity reversal and the properties of supporting cells show marked differences, likely impacting vestibular function and hair cell regeneration potential.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Lipovsek
- Ear Institute, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ji YR, Tona Y, Wafa T, Christman ME, Tourney ED, Jiang T, Ohta S, Cheng H, Fitzgerald T, Fritzsch B, Jones SM, Cullen KE, Wu DK. Function of bidirectional sensitivity in the otolith organs established by transcription factor Emx2. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6330. [PMID: 36280667 PMCID: PMC9592604 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33819-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Otolith organs of the inner ear are innervated by two parallel afferent projections to the brainstem and cerebellum. These innervations were proposed to segregate across the line of polarity reversal (LPR) within each otolith organ, which divides the organ into two regions of hair cells (HC) with opposite stereociliary orientation. The relationship and functional significance of these anatomical features are not known. Here, we show regional expression of Emx2 in otolith organs, which establishes LPR, mediates the neuronal segregation across LPR and constitutes the bidirectional sensitivity function. Conditional knockout (cKO) of Emx2 in HCs lacks LPR. Tmie cKO, in which mechanotransduction was abolished selectively in HCs within the Emx2 expression domain also lacks bidirectional sensitivity. Analyses of both mutants indicate that LPR is specifically required for mice to swim comfortably and to traverse a balance beam efficiently, but LPR is not required for mice to stay on a rotating rod.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Young Rae Ji
- Section on Sensory Cell Regeneration and Development, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- Sensory & Motor Systems Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), 61 Cheomdan-ro, Dong-gu, Daegu, 41062, Republic of Korea
| | - Yosuke Tona
- Section on Sensory Cell Regeneration and Development, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Kyoto University Hospital, 54 Shogoin-kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan
| | - Talah Wafa
- Mouse Auditory Testing Core Facility, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Matthew E Christman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Edward D Tourney
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Tao Jiang
- Section on Sensory Cell Regeneration and Development, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- ENT Institute and Otorhinolaryngology Department of Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Sho Ohta
- Section on Sensory Cell Regeneration and Development, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Hui Cheng
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Collaboration Core, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Tracy Fitzgerald
- Mouse Auditory Testing Core Facility, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Bernd Fritzsch
- Department of Biology & Department of Otolaryngology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Sherri M Jones
- Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, 301 Barkley Memorial Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68583, USA
| | - Kathleen E Cullen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Doris K Wu
- Section on Sensory Cell Regeneration and Development, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Jiang T, Kindt K, Wu DK. Transcription factor Emx2 controls stereociliary bundle orientation of sensory hair cells. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 28266911 PMCID: PMC5388538 DOI: 10.7554/elife.23661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2016] [Accepted: 03/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The asymmetric location of stereociliary bundle (hair bundle) on the apical surface of mechanosensory hair cells (HCs) dictates the direction in which a given HC can respond to cues such as sound, head movements, and water pressure. Notably, vestibular sensory organs of the inner ear, the maculae, exhibit a line of polarity reversal (LPR) across which, hair bundles are polarized in a mirror-image pattern. Similarly, HCs in neuromasts of the zebrafish lateral line system are generated as pairs, and two sibling HCs develop opposite hair bundle orientations. Within these sensory organs, expression of the transcription factor Emx2 is restricted to only one side of the LPR in the maculae or one of the two sibling HCs in neuromasts. Emx2 mediates hair bundle polarity reversal in these restricted subsets of HCs and generates the mirror-image pattern of the sensory organs. Downstream effectors of Emx2 control bundle polarity cell-autonomously via heterotrimeric G proteins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tao Jiang
- Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, United States.,Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - Katie Kindt
- Section on Sensory Cell Development, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - Doris K Wu
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Zakir M, Wu LQ, Dickman JD. Morphology and innervation of the vestibular lagena in pigeons. Neuroscience 2012; 209:97-107. [PMID: 22387112 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2011] [Revised: 02/05/2012] [Accepted: 02/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The morphological characteristics of the pigeon lagena were examined using histology, scanning electron microscopy, and biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) neural tracers. The lagena epithelium was observed to lie partially in a parasagittal plane, but was also U-shaped with orthogonal (lateral) directed tips. Hair cell planar polarities were oriented away from a central reversal line that ran nearly the length of the epithelium. Similar to the vertebrate utricle and saccule, three afferent classes were observed based upon their terminal innervation pattern, which include calyx, dimorph, and bouton fibers. Calyx and dimorph afferents innervated the striola region of the lagena, whereas bouton afferents innervated the extrastriola and a small region of the central striola known as the type II band. Calyx units had large calyceal terminal structures that innervated only type I hair cells. Dimorph afferents innervated both type I and II hair cells, with calyx and bouton terminals. Bouton afferents had the largest most complex innervation patterns and the greatest terminal areas contacting many hair cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Zakir
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Abstract
Many primary vestibular afferents form large cup-shaped postsynaptic terminals (calyces) that envelope the basolateral surfaces of type I hair cells. The calyceal terminals both respond to glutamate released from ribbon synapses in the type I cells and initiate spikes that propagate to the afferent's central terminals in the brainstem. The combination of synaptic and spike initiation functions in these unique sensory endings distinguishes them from the axonal nodes of central neurons and peripheral nerves, such as the sciatic nerve, which have provided most of our information about nodal specializations. We show that rat vestibular calyces express an unusual mix of voltage-gated Na and K channels and scaffolding, cell adhesion, and extracellular matrix proteins, which may hold the ion channels in place. Protein expression patterns form several microdomains within the calyx membrane: a synaptic domain facing the hair cell, the heminode abutting the first myelinated internode, and one or two intermediate domains. Differences in the expression and localization of proteins between afferent types and zones may contribute to known variations in afferent physiology.
Collapse
|