The protein composition of the avian tectorial membrane

Regeneration in the Auditory Organ in Cuban and African Dwarf Crocodiles (Crocodylus rhombifer and Osteolaemus tetraspis) Can We Learn From the Crocodile How to Restore Our Hearing?

Background: In several non-mammalian species, auditory receptors undergo cell renewal after damage. This has raised hope of finding new options to treat human sensorineural deafness. Uncertainty remains as to the triggering mechanisms and whether hair cells are regenerated even under normal conditions. In the present investigation, we explored the auditory organ in the crocodile to validate possible ongoing natural hair cell regeneration.

Materials and Methods: Two male Cuban crocodiles (Crocodylus rhombifer) and an adult male African Dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry using confocal microscopy. The crocodile ears were fixed in formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde and underwent micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and 3D reconstruction. The temporal bones were drilled out and decalcified.

Results: The crocodile papilla basilaris contained tall (inner) and short (outer) hair cells surrounded by a mosaic of tightly connected supporting cells coupled with gap junctions. Afferent neurons with and without ribbon synapses innervated both hair cell types. Supporting cells occasionally showed signs of trans-differentiation into hair cells. They expressed the MAFA and SOX2 transcription factors. Supporting cells contained organelles that may transfer genetic information between cells, including the efferent nerve fibers during the regeneration process. The tectorial membrane showed signs of being replenished and its architecture being sculpted by extracellular exosome-like proteolysis.

Discussion: Crocodilians seem to produce new hair cells during their life span from a range of supporting cells. Imposing efferent nerve fibers may play a role in regeneration and re-innervation of the auditory receptors, possibly triggered by apoptotic signals from wasted hair cells. Intercellular signaling may be accomplished by elaborate gap junction and organelle systems, including neural emperipolesis. Crocodilians seem to restore and sculpt their tectorial membranes throughout their lives.

Comparative transcriptome analysis provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of high-frequency hearing differences between the sexes of Odorrana tormota

Background

Acoustic communication is important for the survival and reproduction of anurans and masking background noise is a critical factor for their effective acoustic communication. Males of the concave-eared frog (Odorrana tormota) have evolved an ultrasonic communication capacity to avoid masking by the widespread background noise of local fast-flowing streams, whereas females exhibit no ultrasonic sensitivity. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the high-frequency hearing differences between the sexes of O. tormota are still poorly understood.

Results

In this study, we sequenced the brain transcriptomes of male and female O. tormota, and compared their differential gene expression. A total of 4,605 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the sexes of O. tormota were identified and eleven of them were related to auditory based on the annotation and enrichment analysis. Most of these DEGs in males showed a higher expression trend than females in both quantity and expression quantity. The highly expressed genes in males were relatively concentrated in neurogenesis, signal transduction, ion transport and energy metabolism, whereas the up-expressed genes in females were mainly related to the growth and development regulation of specific auditory cells.

Conclusions

The transcriptome of male and female O. tormota has been sequenced and de novo assembled, which will provide gene reference for further genomic studies. In addition, this is the first research to reveal the molecular mechanisms of sex differences in ultrasonic hearing between the sexes of O. tormota and will provide new insights into the genetic basis of the auditory adaptation in amphibians during their transition from water to land.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08536-2.

Structure, Function, and Development of the Tectorial Membrane: An Extracellular Matrix Essential for Hearing

The tectorial membrane is an extracellular matrix that lies over the apical surface of the auditory epithelia in the inner ears of reptiles, birds, and mammals. Recent studies have shown it is composed of a small set of proteins, some of which are only produced at high levels in the ear and many of which are the products of genes that, when mutated, cause nonsyndromic forms of human hereditary deafness. Quite how the proteins of the tectorial membrane are assembled within the lumen of the inner ear to form a structure that is precisely regulated in its size and physical properties along the length of a tonotopically organized hearing organ is a question that remains to be fully answered. In this brief review we will summarize what is known thus far about the structure, protein composition, and function of the tectorial membrane in birds and mammals, describe how the tectorial membrane develops, and discuss major events that have occurred during the evolution of this extracellular matrix.

Hair cell force generation does not amplify or tune vibrations within the chicken basilar papilla

Frequency tuning within the auditory papilla of most non-mammalian species is electrical, deriving from ion-channel resonance within their sensory hair cells. In contrast, tuning within the mammalian cochlea is mechanical, stemming from active mechanisms within outer hair cells that amplify the basilar membrane travelling wave. Interestingly, hair cells in the avian basilar papilla demonstrate both electrical resonance and force-generation, making it unclear which mechanism creates sharp frequency tuning. Here, we measured sound-induced vibrations within the apical half of the chicken basilar papilla in vivo and found broadly-tuned travelling waves that were not amplified. However, distortion products were found in live but not dead chickens. These findings support the idea that avian hair cells do produce force, but that their effects on vibration are small and do not sharpen tuning. Therefore, frequency tuning within the apical avian basilar papilla is not mechanical, and likely derives from hair cell electrical resonance.

The avian auditory papilla has many similarities to the mammalian cochlea but whether force generation by hair cells amplifies the travelling wave, as it does in mammals, remains unknown. Here the authors show that the chicken basilar papilla does not have a ‘cochlear amplifier' and that sharp frequency tuning does not derive from mechanical vibrations.

Expression of GATA3 and tenascin in the avian vestibular maculae: normative patterns and changes during sensory regeneration

Sensory receptors in the vestibular organs of birds can regenerate after ototoxic injury. Notably, this regenerative process leads to the restoration of the correct patterning of hair cell phenotype and afferent innervation within the repaired sensory epithelium. The molecular signals that specify cell phenotype and regulate neuronal guidance during sensory regeneration are not known, but they are likely to be similar to the signals that direct these processes during embryonic development. The present study examined the recovery of hair cell phenotype during regeneration in the avian utricle, a vestibular organ that detects linear acceleration and head orientation. First, we show that Type I hair cells in the avian vestibular maculae are immunoreactive for the extracellular matrix molecule tenascin and that treatment with the ototoxic antibiotic streptomycin results in a nearly complete elimination of tenascin immunoreactivity. Cells that express tenascin begin to recover after about 2 weeks and are then contacted by calyx terminals of vestibular neurons. In addition, our previous work had shown that the zinc finger transcription factor GATA3 is uniquely expressed within the striolar reversal zone of the utricle (Hawkins et al. [2003] Hum Mol Genet 12:1261-1272), and we show here that this regionalized expression of GATA3 is maintained after severe hair cell lesions and after transplantation of the sensory epithelium onto a chemically defined substrate. In contrast, the expression of three other supporting cell markers--alpha- and beta-tectorin and SCA--is reduced following ototoxic injury. These observations suggest that GATA3 expression may maintain positional information in the maculae during sensory regeneration.

Characterization of supporting cell phenotype in the avian inner ear: implications for sensory regeneration

The avian inner ear possesses a remarkable capacity for the regeneration of sensory receptors after acoustic trauma or ototoxicity. Most replacement hair cells are created by renewed cell division within the sensory epithelium, although some new hair cells may also arise through nonmitotic mechanisms. Current data indicate that epithelial supporting cells play an essential role in regeneration, by serving as progenitor cells. In order to become progenitors, however, supporting cells may need to undergo partial dedifferentiation. In this review, I describe molecules that are expressed by supporting cells in the avian ear. Although a number of these molecules are likely to be critical to the maintenance of the supporting cell phenotype, we presently know very little about phenotypic changes in supporting cells during the early phase of regeneration.

Expression of Cochlin in the Vestibular Organ of Rats

The COCH gene mutated in autosomal dominant sensorineural deafness (DFNA9) encodes cochlin, a major constituent of the inner ear extracellular matrix. Cochlin constitutes 70% of the inner ear protein and cochlin isoforms can be classified into three subgroups, p63s, p44s and p40s. Symptoms of some DFNA9 patients are consistent with those of Ménière's disease. Here, we report the expression of cochlin in the vestibular organ of rats using isoform-specific antibodies that recognize all three isoforms. Cochlin is highly expressed in the stromata of the maculae of otolithic organs and cristae of semicircular canals, and in the channels in the bony labyrinth that transmit the dendritic innervation to the cristae and maculae. Cochlin cannot be detected in the sensory cells, dark cells, nor in the acellular structures, otolithic membrane or in the cupula. These findings support the theory that deposition of acidophilic substance in the inner ear caused by mutation of cochlin can induce a secondary retrograde dendritic degeneration of the vestibular nerves.

Static material properties of the tectorial membrane: a summary

The tectorial membrane (TM) is a polyelectrolyte gel. Hence, its chemical, electrical, mechanical, and osmotic properties are inextricably linked. We review, integrate, and interpret recent findings on these properties in isolated TM preparations. The dimensions of the TM in alligator lizard, chick, and mouse are sensitive to bath ion concentrations of constituents normally present in the cochlear fluids - an increase in calcium concentration shrinks the TM, and an increase in sodium concentration swells the TM in a manner that depends competitively on the calcium concentration. The sodium-induced swelling is specific; it does not occur with other alkali metal cations. We interpret these findings as due to competitive binding of sodium and calcium to TM macromolecules which causes a change in their conformation that leads to a change in mechanical properties. In mouse TM, decreasing the bath pH below 6 or increasing it above 7 results in swelling of the TM. Electric potential measurements are consistent with the notion that the swelling is caused by a pH-driven increase in positive fixed charge at low pH and an increase in the magnitude of the negative fixed charge at high pH which is consistent with the known protonation pattern of TM macromolecules. Increasing the osmotic pressure of the bathing solution with polyethylene glycol shrinks the TM and decreasing the ionic strength of the bathing solution swells the TM. Both results are qualitatively consistent with predictions of a polyelectrolyte gel model of the TM.

Extracellular matrices associated with the apical surfaces of sensory epithelia in the inner ear: molecular and structural diversity

The ultrastructure and molecular composition of the extracellular matrices that are associated with the apical surfaces of the mechanosensory epithelia in the mouse inner ear are compared. A progressive increase in molecular and structural organization is observed, with the cupula being the simplest, the otoconial membrane exhibiting an intermediate degree of complexity, and the tectorial membrane being the most elaborate of the three matrices. These differences may reflect changes that occurred in the acellular membranes of the inner ear as a mammalian hearing organ arose during evolution from a simple equilibrium receptor. A comparison of the molecular composition of the acellular membranes in the chick inner ear suggests the auditory epithelium and the striolar region of the maculae are homologous, indicating the basilar papilla may have evolved from the striolar region of an otolithic organ. A comparison of the tectorial membranes in the chick cochlear duct and the mouse cochlea reveals differences in the structure of the noncollagenous matrix in the two species that may result from differences in the stochiometry of alpha- and beta-tectorin and/or differences in the post-translational modification of alpha-tectorin. This comparison also indicates that the appearance of collagen in the mammalian tectorial membrane may have been a major step in the evolution of an electromechanically tuned vertebrate hearing organ that operates over an extended frequency range.

Chick alpha-tectorin: molecular cloning and expression during embryogenesis

The avian and mammalian tectorial membranes both contain two non-collagenous glycoproteins, alpha and beta-tectorin. To determine whether variations in the primary sequences of the chick and mouse alpha-tectorins account for differences in subunit composition and matrix structure of the tectorial membranes in these two species, cDNAs spanning the entire open reading frame of chick alpha-tectorin were cloned and the derived amino acid sequence was compared with that of mouse alpha-tectorin. Chick alpha-tectorin shares 73% amino acid sequence identity with mouse alpha-tectorin and, like mouse alpha-tectorin, is composed of three distinct modules: an N-terminal region similar to the G1 domain of entactin, a central region that shares identity with zonadhesin and contains three full and two partial von Willebrand factor type D repeats, and a C-terminal region containing a zona pellucida domain. The central region of chick alpha-tectorin contains fewer potential N-glycosylation sites than that of mouse alpha-tectorin and is cleaved at two additional sites. Differences in the glycosylation and proteolytic processing of chick and mouse alpha-tectorin may therefore account for the variation observed in the composition and structure of the collagenase-insensitive matrices of the avian and mammalian tectorial membranes. In situ hybridisation and Northern blot analysis of chick inner ear tissue indicate that the spatial and temporal patterns of alpha and beta-tectorin mRNA expression in the developing chick inner ear are different, suggesting the two tectorins may each form homomeric filaments.

Ultrastructural organization of proteoglycans and fibrillar matrix of the tectorial membrane

The molecular and supramolecular structure of the tectorial membrane (TM) was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Collagen (type A) fibrils in the TM were found associated with proteoglycans (PGs) and type B fibrils. Most PGs were orthogonally oriented and attached D-periodically to collagen fibrils. Computer averaged projections of PG particles and linear aggregates of PGs in crystalline arrays, stained with Cuprolinic blue, showed an elongated, electron-dense structure 50-65 nm in length and 10 nm in width. Image analysis of type B fibrils showed that they are constructed of globular domains arranged with a periodicity of 12-14 nm. Each globular domain contains two thin 'arms', extended in opposite directions, which contact the 'arms' of adjacent fibrils. Numerous type B fibrils were found between collagen fibrils. They are attached to adjacent collagen fibrils by the 'arms' of their globular domains. An association of type B fibrils and PGs with collagen seems to result in the local ordered arrangement of the TM matrix. A hypothetical model of the TM matrix supramolecular structure is presented.

The mouse tectorins. Modular matrix proteins of the inner ear homologous to components of the sperm-egg adhesion system

The cDNA and derived amino acid sequences for the two major non-collagenous proteins of the mouse tectorial membrane, alpha- and beta-tectorin, are presented. The cDNA for alpha-tectorin predicts a protein of 239,034 Da with 33 potential N-glycosylation sites, and that of beta-tectorin a smaller protein of 36,074 Da with 4 consensus N-glycosylation sites. Southern and Northern blot analysis indicate alpha- and beta-tectorin are single copy genes only expressed in the inner ear, and in situ hybridization shows they are expressed by cells both in and surrounding the mechanosensory epithelia. Both sequences terminate with a hydrophobic COOH terminus preceded by a potential endoproteinase cleavage site suggesting the tectorins are synthesized as glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked, membrane bound precursors, targeted to the apical surface of the inner ear epithelia by the lipid and proteolytically released into the extracellular compartment. The mouse beta-tectorin sequence contains a single zona pellucida domain, whereas alpha-tectorin is composed of three distinct modules: an NH2-terminal region similar to part of the entactin G1 domain, a large central segment with three full and two partial von Willebrand factor type D repeats, and a carboxyl-terminal region which, like beta-tectorin, contains a single zona pellucida domain. The central, high molecular mass region of alpha-tectorin containing the von Willebrand factor type D repeats has homology with zonadhesin, a sperm membrane protein that binds to the zona pellucida. These results indicate the two major non-collagenous proteins of the tectorial membrane are similar to components of the sperm-egg adhesion system, and, as such may interact in the same manner.

Antibodies to the sulphated, high molecular mass mouse tectorin stain hair bundles and the olfactory mucus layer

Polyclonal antibodies were raised in chickens to the glycosylated forms of the high (H), medium (M) and low (L) molecular mass (MM) mouse tectorins. In the mouse cochlea, all three antibodies stained the tectorial membrane. Antibodies raised to HMM tectorin also stained the hair bundles of both inner and outer hair cells. A number of other mouse tissues were screened with the anti-tectorin antibodies to look for similar or antigenically related molecules. Staining was not observed in any other tissue type with the antibodies directed against the MMM and LMM tectorins. In the nose, the anti-HMM tectorin antibodies stained Bowman's glands and the mucus layer overlying the olfactory epithelium. The surface of the adjacent respiratory epithelium was not stained by these antibodies. HMM tectorin can be specifically radiolabelled by injecting neonatal mice with 35SO4 and undergoes a shift in electrophoretic mobility following treatment with keratanase, an endo-beta-galactosidase from Pseudomonas. However, when centrifuged on shallow CsCl gradients HMM tectorin has a buoyant density similar to that of glycoproteins and does not behave as a typical cartilage type proteoglycan. HMM tectorin does not react with mab 5D4, a monoclonal antibody that recognises keratan sulphate glycosaminoglycan from corneal and skeletal muscle proteoglycan. Unlike antibodies to HMM tectorin, mab 5D4 selectively stains the upper surface of the tectorial membrane, Hensen's stripe and the mucus layer overlying the respiratory epithelium. These studies indicate that the MMM and LMM tectorins may be unique to the cochlea, and that HMM may be a "light' keratan sulphate proteoglycan that is antigenically related to either the mucins or a more specific component of the olfactory mucus layer.

Distribution of beta-tectorin mRNA in the early posthatch and developing avian inner ear

Expression of beta-tectorin mRNA in the inner ear of the embryonic and early posthatch (PH) chick was studied by in situ hybridisation. In the PH chick, beta-tectorin mRNA is expressed in the basilar papilla, in the clear and the cuboidal cells that lie either side of the papilla, in the striolar regions of the maculae, and in two small groups of cells lying adjacent to the midline in the cristae of the anterior and posterior ampullae. Expression of beta-tectorin is not observed in the lateral ampulla. In the sensory epithelia of the PH chick in which beta-tectorin mRNA is detected, expression is restricted to the supporting cell population. During development of the cochlear duct, beta-tectorin expression begins between embryonic (E) days 5 and 6. At E6, expression is observed throughout the length of the duct but is highest at the distal end. By E7, the pattern of expression is reversed and is highest at the proximal end of the cochlea, suggesting that a wave of high beta-tectorin expression passes disto-proximally along the papilla during E6 and E7. Expression of beta-tectorin mRNA is not detected in the homogene cells at any stage during the development of the cochlear duct, indicating that these cells do not synthesise one of the two major proteins of the avian tectorial membrane. The distribution of supporting cells expressing beta-tectorin mRNA in the different epithelia was compared with the distribution of sensory cells that have type B hair bundles, those with shaft links restricted to basal regions of their stereocilia, and sensory cells that have type A bundles, those with shaft links all over the entire surface of their stereocilia. Hair cells with type A hair bundles are never found in association with supporting cells expressing beta-tectorin. Although there is a correspondence in the basilar papilla and the maculae of the utriculus and lagena between the distribution of supporting cells expressing beta-tectorin mRNA and hair cells with type B bundles, this correlation does not generalise to the other sensory epithelia.

Crystalline arrays of proteoglycan and collagen in the tectorial membrane

Ultrastucture of the tectorial membrane in the chinchilla cochlea was studied by transmission electron microscopy using different fixatives and staining procedures. It was shown that the tectorial membrane is a highly structured matrix composed of collagen type A fibrils, noncollagenous type B fibrils and proteoglycan. The localization of type B fibrils surrounding bundles of parallel type A fibrils was observed. Staining of the tectorial membranes with the cationic dye Cuprolinic blue in a "critical electrolyte concentration" method revealed proteoglycan, D-periodically associated with collagen type A fibrils and orthogonal to them. The appearance and size of the proteoglycan, and its binding to collagen, were similar to small proteoglycans observed in cartilage and other tissues. In many regions of the tectorial membrane the collagen-bound proteoglycan forms crystalline-like arrays. The images of these arrays processed by Fourier analysis show long linear aggregates of proteoglycan arranged parallel each other.

Monoclonal antibody markers for early development of the stereociliary bundles of mammalian hair cells

Two monoclonal antibodies, SC1 and SC2, were raised in vitro against antigens from the stereocilia of guinea-pig hair cells. They both labelled stereociliary antigens that were not detected in any other cell within the cochlear duct or the vestibular epithelial. SC1 cross-reacted with the tectorial membrane in the cochlea and labelled both cochlear and vestibular hair cells from both the mouse and the rat. In the mouse the SC1 antigen was labelled from embryonic days 16-18, coincident with the development of the stereociliary bundles. SC1 cross-reacted with neuromuscular junctions from striated muscle and with basal keratinocytes in skin. SC2 did not cross-react cleanly with hair cells from the mouse or the rat but it cross-reacted with proximal tubules of the guinea-pig kidney. Both antibodies can be used as cellular markers within the guinea-pig cochlea and SC1 should be particularly useful for studies of hair cell differentiation in the mouse.

Filtering of distortion-product otoacoustic emissions in the inner ear of birds and lizards

When the output magnitude of more than one order of distortion-product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) is measured, they reach their maximum at the same DPOAE frequency. This fact led several authors to the assumption that, subsequent to their generation in the cochlea, the DPOAE are band-pass filtered. It was suggested that the tectorial membrane is the structure responsible for this filtering. In this report, we show that the same kind of "DPOAE tuning' is shown by animals which have hearing organs with tectorial structures of very different morphology, or even with no tectorial membrane at all. We therefore conclude that it is unlikely that the filter is the tectorial membrane.

Use of the teleost saccule to identify genes involved in inner ear function

The vertebrate inner ear sensory epithelia contain different types of hair cells and supporting cells. The teleost saccule is anatomically similar to the mammalian saccule and is primarily involved in the detection of translational acceleration and orientation with respect to gravity. To facilitate molecular studies of the teleost saccule cDNA libraries were constructed from microdissected Lepomis macrochirus (bluegill sunfish) saccular maculae. To our knowledge, this is the first report of cDNA libraries constructed from the saccule. In one instance, a non-polymerase chain reaction-based method of amplifying a mRNA population from limited amounts of starting tissue was employed that allowed construction of cDNA libraries from nanogram amounts of tissue mRNA. Conventional cDNA libraries were constructed from the sunfish saccular maculae as well. These cDNA libraries enriched in hair cell and supporting cell transcripts should facilitate molecular biological studies of inner ear sensory epithelia. As an example of their utility, efforts to identify tyrosine kinases expressed in the saccular endorgan using low-stringency hybridization screening of these cDNA libraries and the partial sequence of a cDNA found to encode an erbB-2-related tyrosine kinase are also reported.

Secretion of a new basal layer of tectorial membrane following gentamicin-induced hair cell loss

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and video-enhanced DIC light microscopy were used to assess morphological changes in the chick tectorial membrane (TM) following gentamicin-induced hair cell loss. Gentamicin was administered (100 mg/kg/day for 3 days) and isolated and in-situ TMs were examined in both fixed and unfixed preparations at days 5 and 10 after the initial injection. Although this protocol induced hair cell damage extending up to 75% of the length of the basilar papilla, there was no apparent damage to the TM itself. However, the ejection of damaged hair cells appeared to sever the filamentous attachments between the TM and the apical surface of the basilar papilla. In SEM preparations this detachment caused the TM to shrink back toward the superior edge. Interestingly, despite the lack of TM damage, gentamicin treatment did reveal the secretion of a new basal layer of TM. Secretion of this new basal layer had begun by day 5 and it was well organized by day 10. This new layer formed attachments to both the recovering basilar papilla and the overlying original TM, a step thought to be necessary for the restoration of auditory function in the regenerating cochlea.

Hearing. A gene for deaf ears?

Genetic mutations that lead to hearing losses have been identified in both human and mouse populations; the gene products include members of a class of unconventional myosins.

The osmotic response of the isolated, unfixed mouse tectorial membrane to isosmotic solutions: effect of Na+, K+, and Ca2+ concentration

Changes in the size, shape, and structure of the isolated tectorial membrane (TM) of the mouse were measured in response to isosmotic changes in the ionic composition of the bathing solution. Substitution of artificial perilymph (AP) for artificial endolymph (AE) caused a small (approximately 1%) shrinkage of the TM's thickness. This substitution alters not only the predominate cation (from K+ to Na+) but also the Ca2+ concentration (from 20 mumol/l to 2 mmol/l). When the predominate cation was changed from K+ to Na+, while holding Ca2+ concentration constant, results depended on Ca2+ concentration: there was a small (approximately 1%) swelling for 20 mumol/l Ca2+, larger (approximately 14%) swelling for lower (< 7 mumol/l) concentrations of Ca2+, and little response for 2 mmol/l Ca2+ or for solutions containing the Ca2+ chelator EGTA. Addition of Ca2+ while holding the predominate cation constant caused shrinkage of the TM; both removal of Ca2+ and addition of the Ca2+ chelator EGTA caused swelling. Swelling responses were largely reversible if the magnitude of the swelling was small. Responses greater than a few percent were only partially reversible and caused long-lasting changes. Changes in ionic composition of the bath affected not only the thickness of the TM but also its other dimensions. Solution changes that increase TM thickness tend to cause radial shearing motions of the surfaces of the TM, which are accompanied by small decreases in width. Little change in length was observed. Although the responses were non-isotropic, increases in thickness were highly correlated with increases in volume. Swelling of the TM was also accompanied by a reduction in prominence of its radially oriented fibrillar structure. These results for the isolated TM of the mouse are qualitatively similar to those obtained previously for the isolated chick TM (Freeman et al., 1994) but different from those obtained for the in vitro mouse TM (Kronester-Frei, 1979a).

Molecular cloning of chick beta-tectorin, an extracellular matrix molecule of the inner ear

The tectorial membrane is an extracellular matrix lying over the apical surface of the auditory epithelium. Immunofluorescence studies have suggested that some proteins of the avian tectorial membrane, the tectorins, may be unique to the inner ear (Killick, R., C. Malenczak, and G. P. Richardson. 1992. Hearing Res. 64:21-38). The cDNA and deduced amino acid sequences for chick beta-tectorin are presented. The cDNA encodes a protein of 36,902.6 D with a putative signal sequence, four potential N-glycosylation sites, 13 cysteines, and a hydrophobic COOH terminus. Western blots of two-dimensional gels using antibodies to a synthetic peptide confirm the identity of the cDNA. Southern and Northern analysis suggests that beta-tectorin is a single-copy gene only expressed in the inner ear. The predicted COOH terminus is similar to that of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked proteins, and antisera raised to this region react with in vitro translation products of the cDNA clone but not with mature beta-tectorin. These data suggest beta-tectorin is synthesized as a glycosylphosphatidyl-inositol-linked precursor, targeted to the apical surface of the sensory epithelium by the lipid moiety, and then further processed. Sequence analysis indicates the predicted protein possesses a zona pellucida domain, a sequence that is common to a limited number of other matrix-forming proteins and may be involved in the formation of filaments. In the cochlear duct, beta-tectorin is expressed in the basilar papilla, in the clear cells and the cuboidal cells, as well as in the striolar region of the lagena macula. The expression of beta-tectorin is associated with hair cells that have an apical cell surface specialization known as the 275-kD hair cell antigen restricted to the basal region of the hair bundle, suggesting that matrices containing beta-tectorin are required to drive this hair cell type.

Molecular cloning and characterization of an inner ear-specific structural protein

Molecular biological studies of the mammalian inner ear have been limited by the relatively small size of the sensory endorgans contained within. The saccular otolithic organ in teleostian fish is structurally similar to its mammalian counterpart but can contain an order of magnitude more sensory cells. The prospect of the evolutionary conservation of proteins utilized in the vertebrate inner ear and the relative abundance of teleostian saccular sensory tissue made this an attractive system for molecular biological studies. A complementary DNA obtained by differential screening of a saccular complementary DNA library was identified that encodes an inner ear-specific collagen molecule.

Visualisation of domains in the avian tectorial and otolithic membranes with monoclonal antibodies

The staining patterns observed with six monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) raised in vitro against a fraction derived from the utricular macula were examined with cryosections of the auditory and vestibular organs of the avian inner ear. These antibodies revealed several distinct domains within the gelatinous membranes. Three different labelling patterns were observed in the tectorial membrane. Staining was seen either throughout the entire tectorial membrane, restricted to its core, or in a narrow zone lying close to the surface of the basilar papilla. In the maculae, the mAbs stained either the striolar region of the otolithic membrane or the entire structure. One monoclonal which labelled otoconia, stained small otoconia in their entirely, whilst larger otoconia were only labelled around their periphery. Only one of the mAbs stained the cupulae of the semi-circular canal ampullae and this antibody stained neither the tectorial nor the otolithic membranes. These results suggest that there are biochemically distinct regions in the gelatinous membranes of the inner ear and indicate that these matrices are not simply homogeneous extracellular structures.

The osmotic response of the isolated tectorial membrane of the chick to isosmotic solutions: effect of Na+, K+, and Ca2+ concentration

Changes in the size, shape, and structure of the isolated tectorial membrane of the chick were measured in response to isosmotic changes in the ionic composition of the perfusion solution. Substitution of artificial perilymph (AP) for artificial endolymph (AE) caused a small (approximately 15%), slow (time constants tau approximately 12 min) shrinkage of the thickness of the tectorial membrane that was largely reversed on return to AE. Substitution of AP for AE alters not only the predominate cation (from K+ to Na+) but also the Ca2+ concentration (from < 7 mumol/l to 2 mmol/l). Additional experiments were performed to separate effects of each of these changes. When a high-Na+, low-Ca2+ solution was substituted for a high-K+, low-Ca2+ solution (AE), the tectorial membrane swelled significantly, often to more than twice its original thickness (the largest swelling was 337%), with a slow time course (tau approximately 23 min). Addition of the Ca2+ to either high-K+ or high-Na+ solutions caused rapid shrinkage of the tectorial membrane (tau approximately 2-3 min). Addition of the Ca2+ chelator EGTA caused rapid swelling (tau approximately 4 min). Large osmotic responses were only partially reversible and caused long-lasting changes. For example, long-duration solution changes that produced large, rapid osmotic responses early in an experiment tended to produce smaller and slower responses later in the experiment. In contrast, the small osmotic responses to short-duration solution changes were repeatable for tens of hours. Changes in ionic composition of the bath affected not only the thickness of the tectorial membrane but also its other dimensions. Responses were not generally isotropic; both the size and shape of the tectorial membrane generally changed. Consistent changes in microstructure accompanied the osmotic changes.

Recovery of auditory function and structure in the chick after two intense pure tone exposures

Groups of neonatal chicks were examined in three experimental conditions that differed in the age and number of times they were exposed to a pure tone of 0.9 kHz at 120 dB SPL for 48 h. Several animals were exposed once at 2 or 16 days of age, while others were subjected twice to the above stimulus, first at 2 days and then at 16 days. Evoked potential measures of threshold shift, obtained at 0, 12 or 26 days post-exposure, were used to determine the degree of hearing loss and recovery. The average threshold loss in the mid-range frequencies was about 57 dB at 0 days for all three conditions. This level was reduced to about 15 dB in all three groups at 12 days of recovery, while in birds exposed once at 2 days, but allowed 26 days to recover, the post-exposure thresholds returned to pre-exposure levels. Scanning electron microscopic analysis of cochlear structure was conducted in groups of similarly exposed and recovered animals. Twelve days post-exposure, the structural analysis revealed regeneration of a single honeycomb-like tectorial membrane layer in both the once and twice-exposed cochleae. However, damage to, and repair of, the tectorial membrane after the second exposure revealed the production of a second honeycomb layer in about half the animals examined. The results indicated that chicks retain the capacity to repair receptor epithelium damage and recover considerably from hearing loss after multiple exposures to intense sound.