1
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Vincent PFY, Young ED, Edge ASB, Glowatzki E. Auditory hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons regenerate synapses with refined release properties in vitro. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2315599121. [PMID: 39058581 PMCID: PMC11294990 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2315599121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Ribbon synapses between inner hair cells (IHCs) and type I spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) in the inner ear are damaged by noise trauma and with aging, causing "synaptopathy" and hearing loss. Cocultures of neonatal denervated organs of Corti and newly introduced SGNs have been developed to find strategies for improving IHC synapse regeneration, but evidence of the physiological normality of regenerated synapses is missing. This study utilizes IHC optogenetic stimulation and SGN recordings, showing that, when P3-5 denervated organs of Corti are cocultured with SGNs, newly formed IHC/SGN synapses are indeed functional, exhibiting glutamatergic excitatory postsynaptic currents. When using older organs of Corti at P10-11, synaptic activity probed by deconvolution showed more mature release properties, closer to the specialized mode of IHC synaptic transmission crucial for coding the sound signal. This functional assessment of newly formed IHC synapses developed here, provides a powerful tool for testing approaches to improve synapse regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe F. Y. Vincent
- The Center for Hearing and Balance, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
| | - Eric D. Young
- The Center for Hearing and Balance, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
- Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
| | - Albert S. B. Edge
- Department of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA02114
- Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA02139
| | - Elisabeth Glowatzki
- The Center for Hearing and Balance, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
- Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
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2
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Aguilar C, Williams D, Kurapati R, Bains RS, Mburu P, Parker A, Williams J, Concas D, Tateossian H, Haynes AR, Banks G, Vikhe P, Heise I, Hutchison M, Atkins G, Gillard S, Starbuck B, Oliveri S, Blake A, Sethi S, Kumar S, Bardhan T, Jeng JY, Johnson SL, Corns LF, Marcotti W, Simon M, Wells S, Potter PK, Lad HV. Pleiotropic brain function of whirlin identified by a novel mutation. iScience 2024; 27:110170. [PMID: 38974964 PMCID: PMC11225360 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite some evidence indicating diverse roles of whirlin in neurons, the functional corollary of whirlin gene function and behavior has not been investigated or broadly characterized. A single nucleotide variant was identified from our recessive ENU-mutagenesis screen at a donor-splice site in whirlin, a protein critical for proper sensorineural hearing function. The mutation (head-bob, hb) led to partial intron-retention causing a frameshift and introducing a premature termination codon. Mutant mice had a head-bobbing phenotype and significant hyperactivity across several phenotyping tests. Lack of complementation of head-bob with whirler mutant mice confirmed the head-bob mutation as functionally distinct with compound mutants having a mild-moderate hearing defect. Utilizing transgenics, we demonstrate rescue of the hyperactive phenotype and combined with the expression profiling data conclude whirlin plays an essential role in activity-related behaviors. These results highlight a pleiotropic role of whirlin within the brain and implicate alternative, central mediated pathways in its function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Aguilar
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Debbie Williams
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
- Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Ramakrishna Kurapati
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Rasneer S. Bains
- Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Philomena Mburu
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Andy Parker
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Jackie Williams
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Danilo Concas
- Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Hilda Tateossian
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Andrew R. Haynes
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Gareth Banks
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Pratik Vikhe
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Ines Heise
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Marie Hutchison
- Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Gemma Atkins
- Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Simon Gillard
- Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Becky Starbuck
- Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Simona Oliveri
- Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Andrew Blake
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Siddharth Sethi
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Saumya Kumar
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Tanaya Bardhan
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S10 2TN, UK
| | - Jing-Yi Jeng
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S10 2TN, UK
| | - Stuart L. Johnson
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S10 2TN, UK
| | - Lara F. Corns
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S10 2TN, UK
| | - Walter Marcotti
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S10 2TN, UK
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S10 2TN, UK
| | - Michelle Simon
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Sara Wells
- Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Paul K. Potter
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Heena V. Lad
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
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3
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Kersbergen CJ, Bergles DE. Priming central sound processing circuits through induction of spontaneous activity in the cochlea before hearing onset. Trends Neurosci 2024; 47:522-537. [PMID: 38782701 PMCID: PMC11236524 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2024.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Sensory systems experience a period of intrinsically generated neural activity before maturation is complete and sensory transduction occurs. Here we review evidence describing the mechanisms and functions of this 'spontaneous' activity in the auditory system. Both ex vivo and in vivo studies indicate that this correlated activity is initiated by non-sensory supporting cells within the developing cochlea, which induce depolarization and burst firing of groups of nearby hair cells in the sensory epithelium, activity that is conveyed to auditory neurons that will later process similar sound features. This stereotyped neural burst firing promotes cellular maturation, synaptic refinement, acoustic sensitivity, and establishment of sound-responsive domains in the brain. While sensitive to perturbation, the developing auditory system exhibits remarkable homeostatic mechanisms to preserve periodic burst firing in deaf mice. Preservation of this early spontaneous activity in the context of deafness may enhance the efficacy of later interventions to restore hearing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calvin J Kersbergen
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Dwight E Bergles
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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4
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Wood MB, Nowak N, Fuchs PA. Damage-evoked signals in cochlear neurons and supporting cells. Front Neurol 2024; 15:1361747. [PMID: 38419694 PMCID: PMC10899329 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1361747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
In addition to hearing loss, damage to the cochlea can lead to gain of function pathologies such as hyperacusis. It has been proposed that painful hyperacusis, noxacusis, may be carried to the central nervous system by type II cochlear afferents, sparse, unmyelinated neurons that share morphological and neurochemical traits with nociceptive C-fibers of the somatic nervous system. Also like in skin, damage elicits spreading calcium waves within cochlear epithelia. These are mediated by extracellular ATP combined with IP3-driven release from intracellular calcium stores. Type II afferents are excited by ATP released from damaged epithelia. Thus, the genesis and propagation of epithelial calcium waves is central to cochlear pathology, and presumably hyperacusis. Damage-evoked signals in type II afferents and epithelial cells have been recorded in cochlear explants or semi-intact otic capsules. These efforts have included intracellular electrical recording, use of fluorescent calcium indicators, and visualization of an activity-dependent, intrinsic fluorescent signal. Of relevance to hyperacusis, prior noise-induced hearing loss leads to the generation of prolonged and repetitive activity in type II neurons and surrounding epithelia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Beers Wood
- The Center for Hearing and Balance, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Nate Nowak
- The Center for Hearing and Balance, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Baltimore, MD, United States
- The Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Paul Albert Fuchs
- The Center for Hearing and Balance, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Baltimore, MD, United States
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5
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Vincent PF, Young ED, Edge AS, Glowatzki E. Auditory Hair Cells and Spiral Ganglion Neurons Regenerate Synapses with Refined Release Properties In Vitro. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.05.561095. [PMID: 38076928 PMCID: PMC10705289 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.05.561095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Ribbon synapses between inner hair cells (IHCs) and type I spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) in the inner ear are damaged by noise trauma and with aging, causing 'synaptopathy 'and hearing loss. Co-cultures of neonatal denervated organs of Corti and newly introduced SGNs have been developed to find strategies for improving IHC synapse regeneration, but evidence of the physiological normality of regenerated synapses is missing. This study utilizes IHC optogenetic stimulation and SGN recordings, showing that newly formed IHC synapses are indeed functional, exhibiting glutamatergic excitatory postsynaptic currents. When older organs of Corti were plated, synaptic activity probed by deconvolution, showed more mature release properties, closer to the highly specialized mode of IHC synaptic transmission that is crucial for coding the sound signal. This newly developed functional assessment of regenerated IHC synapses provides a powerful tool for testing approaches to improve synapse regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe F.Y. Vincent
- The Center for Hearing and Balance, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Eric D. Young
- The Center for Hearing and Balance, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Albert S.B. Edge
- Department of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Elisabeth Glowatzki
- The Center for Hearing and Balance, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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6
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Hosoya M, Iwabu K, Kitama T, Nishiyama T, Oishi N, Okano H, Ozawa H. Development of cochlear spiral ligament fibrocytes of the common marmoset, a nonhuman model animal. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11789. [PMID: 37479821 PMCID: PMC10362005 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39003-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Spiral ligament fibrocytes generate potassium gradients, which hair cells require to convert mechanical sound waves into electrical palsy. Together with the stria vascularis, they regulate endolymph electrolyte homeostasis. Developing spiral ligament fibrocytes and generating endocochlear potential with an appropriate endolymph ion composition are essential for hearing. Understanding spiral ligament fibrocyte development is useful for studying age-related and genetic hearing loss, as well as for regenerative therapy and cochlear immunology. Despite interspecies differences, most studies of cochlear development have been conducted in rodent models due to the difficulty of using human fetal samples. This study investigated the cochlear development of spiral ligament fibrocytes in a small New World monkey species, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). We examined the developmental expression of specific genes in spiral ligament fibrocytes, including those essential for the generation of endolymphatic potential. Our results showed that this animal model of spiral ligament fibrocyte development is similar to that of humans and is a suitable alternative for the analysis of human cochlear development. The time course established in this study will be useful for studying the primate-specific developmental biology of the inner ear, which may lead to novel treatment strategies for human hearing loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makoto Hosoya
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.
| | - Kaho Iwabu
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
| | - Tsubasa Kitama
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
| | - Takanori Nishiyama
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
| | - Naoki Oishi
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Okano
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
- Laboratory for Marmoset Neural Architecture, Center for Brain Science, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa Wako, Saitama, 351-0193, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Ozawa
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
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7
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Carlton AJ, Jeng J, Grandi FC, De Faveri F, Ceriani F, De Tomasi L, Underhill A, Johnson SL, Legan KP, Kros CJ, Richardson GP, Mustapha M, Marcotti W. A critical period of prehearing spontaneous Ca 2+ spiking is required for hair-bundle maintenance in inner hair cells. EMBO J 2023; 42:e112118. [PMID: 36594367 PMCID: PMC9929643 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2022112118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensory-independent Ca2+ spiking regulates the development of mammalian sensory systems. In the immature cochlea, inner hair cells (IHCs) fire spontaneous Ca2+ action potentials (APs) that are generated either intrinsically or by intercellular Ca2+ waves in the nonsensory cells. The extent to which either or both of these Ca2+ signalling mechansims are required for IHC maturation is unknown. We find that intrinsic Ca2+ APs in IHCs, but not those elicited by Ca2+ waves, regulate the maturation and maintenance of the stereociliary hair bundles. Using a mouse model in which the potassium channel Kir2.1 is reversibly overexpressed in IHCs (Kir2.1-OE), we find that IHC membrane hyperpolarization prevents IHCs from generating intrinsic Ca2+ APs but not APs induced by Ca2+ waves. Absence of intrinsic Ca2+ APs leads to the loss of mechanoelectrical transduction in IHCs prior to hearing onset due to progressive loss or fusion of stereocilia. RNA-sequencing data show that pathways involved in morphogenesis, actin filament-based processes, and Rho-GTPase signaling are upregulated in Kir2.1-OE mice. By manipulating in vivo expression of Kir2.1 channels, we identify a "critical time period" during which intrinsic Ca2+ APs in IHCs regulate hair-bundle function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jing‐Yi Jeng
- School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Stuart L Johnson
- School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
- Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Kevin P Legan
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of Sussex, FalmerBrightonUK
| | - Corné J Kros
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of Sussex, FalmerBrightonUK
| | | | - Mirna Mustapha
- School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
- Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Walter Marcotti
- School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
- Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
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8
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Sharma K, Kang KW, Seo YW, Glowatzki E, Yi E. Low-voltage Activating K + Channels in Cochlear Afferent Nerve Fiber Dendrites. Exp Neurobiol 2022; 31:243-259. [PMID: 36050224 PMCID: PMC9471414 DOI: 10.5607/en22013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cochlear afferent nerve fibers (ANF) are the first neurons in the ascending auditory pathway. We investigated the low-voltage activating K+ channels expressed in ANF dendrites using isolated rat cochlear segments. Whole cell patch clamp recordings were made from the dendritic terminals of ANFs. Outward currents activating at membrane potentials as low as -64 mV were observed in all dendrites studied. These currents were inhibited by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), a blocker known to preferentially inhibit low-voltage activating K+ currents (IKL) in CNS auditory neurons and spiral ganglion neurons. When the dendritic IKL was blocked by 4-AP, the EPSP decay time was significantly prolonged, suggesting that dendritic IKL speeds up the decay of EPSPs and likely modulates action potentials of ANFs. To reveal molecular subtype of dendritic IKL, α-dendrotoxin (α-DTX), a selective inhibitor for Kv1.1, Kv1.2, and Kv1.6 containing channels, was tested. α-DTX inhibited 23±9% of dendritic IKL. To identify the α-DTXsensitive and α-DTX-insensitive components of IKL, immunofluorescence labeling was performed. Strong Kv1.1- and Kv1.2-immunoreactivity was found at unmyelinated dendritic segments, nodes of Ranvier, and cell bodies of most ANFs. A small fraction of ANF dendrites showed Kv7.2- immunoreactivity. These data suggest that dendritic IKL is conducted through Kv1.1and Kv1.2 channels, with a minor contribution from Kv7.2 and other as yet unidentified channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kushal Sharma
- College of Pharmacy and Natural Medicine Research Institute, Mokpo National University, Muan 58554, Korea
| | - Kwon Woo Kang
- College of Pharmacy and Natural Medicine Research Institute, Mokpo National University, Muan 58554, Korea
| | - Young-Woo Seo
- KBSI Gwangju Center, Korea Basic Science Institute, Gwangju 61186, Korea
| | - Elisabeth Glowatzki
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Eunyoung Yi
- College of Pharmacy and Natural Medicine Research Institute, Mokpo National University, Muan 58554, Korea
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9
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Petitpré C, Faure L, Uhl P, Fontanet P, Filova I, Pavlinkova G, Adameyko I, Hadjab S, Lallemend F. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis of the developing mouse inner ear identifies molecular logic of auditory neuron diversification. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3878. [PMID: 35790771 PMCID: PMC9256748 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31580-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Different types of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) are essential for auditory perception by transmitting complex auditory information from hair cells (HCs) to the brain. Here, we use deep, single cell transcriptomics to study the molecular mechanisms that govern their identity and organization in mice. We identify a core set of temporally patterned genes and gene regulatory networks that may contribute to the diversification of SGNs through sequential binary decisions and demonstrate a role for NEUROD1 in driving specification of a Ic-SGN phenotype. We also find that each trajectory of the decision tree is defined by initial co-expression of alternative subtype molecular controls followed by gradual shifts toward cell fate resolution. Finally, analysis of both developing SGN and HC types reveals cell-cell signaling potentially playing a role in the differentiation of SGNs. Our results indicate that SGN identities are drafted prior to birth and reveal molecular principles that shape their differentiation and will facilitate studies of their development, physiology, and dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Petitpré
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Louis Faure
- Department of Neuroimmunology, Center for Brain Research, Medical University Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Phoebe Uhl
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Paula Fontanet
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Iva Filova
- Institute of Biotechnology CAS, 25250, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | | | - Igor Adameyko
- Department of Neuroimmunology, Center for Brain Research, Medical University Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Saida Hadjab
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Francois Lallemend
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Ming-Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine, Stockholm Node, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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10
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Lorente-Cánovas B, Eckrich S, Lewis MA, Johnson SL, Marcotti W, Steel KP. Grxcr1 regulates hair bundle morphogenesis and is required for normal mechanoelectrical transduction in mouse cochlear hair cells. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0261530. [PMID: 35235570 PMCID: PMC8890737 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Tasmanian devil (tde) mice are deaf and exhibit circling behaviour. Sensory hair cells of mutants show disorganised hair bundles with abnormally thin stereocilia. The origin of this mutation is the insertion of a transgene which disrupts expression of the Grxcr1 (glutaredoxin cysteine rich 1) gene. We report here that Grxcr1 exons and transcript sequences are not affected by the transgene insertion in tde homozygous (tde/tde) mice. Furthermore, 5'RACE PCR experiments showed the presence of two different transcripts of the Grxcr1 gene, expressed in both tde/tde and in wild-type controls. However, quantitative analysis of Grxcr1 transcripts revealed a significantly decreased mRNA level in tde/tde mice. The key stereociliary proteins ESPN, MYO7A, EPS8 and PTPRQ were distributed in hair bundles of homozygous tde mutants in a similar pattern compared with control mice. We found that the abnormal morphology of the stereociliary bundle was associated with a reduction in the size and Ca2+-sensitivity of the mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) current. We propose that GRXCR1 is key for the normal growth of the stereociliary bundle prior to the onset of hearing, and in its absence hair cells are unable to mature into fully functional sensory receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Lorente-Cánovas
- Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Stephanie Eckrich
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Morag A. Lewis
- Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart L. Johnson
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Walter Marcotti
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Karen P. Steel
- Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
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11
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Levic S. SK Current, Expressed During the Development and Regeneration of Chick Hair Cells, Contributes to the Patterning of Spontaneous Action Potentials. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 15:766264. [PMID: 35069114 PMCID: PMC8770932 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.766264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Chick hair cells display calcium (Ca2+)-sensitive spontaneous action potentials during development and regeneration. The role of this activity is unclear but thought to be involved in establishing proper synaptic connections and tonotopic maps, both of which are instrumental to normal hearing. Using an electrophysiological approach, this work investigated the functional expression of Ca2+-sensitive potassium [IK(Ca)] currents and their role in spontaneous electrical activity in the developing and regenerating hair cells (HCs) in the chick basilar papilla. The main IK(Ca) in developing and regenerating chick HCs is an SK current, based on its sensitivity to apamin. Analysis of the functional expression of SK current showed that most dramatic changes occurred between E8 and E16. Specifically, there is a developmental downregulation of the SK current after E16. The SK current gating was very sensitive to the availability of intracellular Ca2+ but showed very little sensitivity to T-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, which are one of the hallmarks of developing and regenerating hair cells. Additionally, apamin reduced the frequency of spontaneous electrical activity in HCs, suggesting that SK current participates in patterning the spontaneous electrical activity of HCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Snezana Levic
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Sensory Neuroscience Research Group, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
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12
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Knipper M, Singer W, Schwabe K, Hagberg GE, Li Hegner Y, Rüttiger L, Braun C, Land R. Disturbed Balance of Inhibitory Signaling Links Hearing Loss and Cognition. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 15:785603. [PMID: 35069123 PMCID: PMC8770933 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.785603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal hyperexcitability in the central auditory pathway linked to reduced inhibitory activity is associated with numerous forms of hearing loss, including noise damage, age-dependent hearing loss, and deafness, as well as tinnitus or auditory processing deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In most cases, the reduced central inhibitory activity and the accompanying hyperexcitability are interpreted as an active compensatory response to the absence of synaptic activity, linked to increased central neural gain control (increased output activity relative to reduced input). We here suggest that hyperexcitability also could be related to an immaturity or impairment of tonic inhibitory strength that typically develops in an activity-dependent process in the ascending auditory pathway with auditory experience. In these cases, high-SR auditory nerve fibers, which are critical for the shortest latencies and lowest sound thresholds, may have either not matured (possibly in congenital deafness or autism) or are dysfunctional (possibly after sudden, stressful auditory trauma or age-dependent hearing loss linked with cognitive decline). Fast auditory processing deficits can occur despite maintained basal hearing. In that case, tonic inhibitory strength is reduced in ascending auditory nuclei, and fast inhibitory parvalbumin positive interneuron (PV-IN) dendrites are diminished in auditory and frontal brain regions. This leads to deficits in central neural gain control linked to hippocampal LTP/LTD deficiencies, cognitive deficits, and unbalanced extra-hypothalamic stress control. Under these conditions, a diminished inhibitory strength may weaken local neuronal coupling to homeostatic vascular responses required for the metabolic support of auditory adjustment processes. We emphasize the need to distinguish these two states of excitatory/inhibitory imbalance in hearing disorders: (i) Under conditions of preserved fast auditory processing and sustained tonic inhibitory strength, an excitatory/inhibitory imbalance following auditory deprivation can maintain precise hearing through a memory linked, transient disinhibition that leads to enhanced spiking fidelity (central neural gain⇑) (ii) Under conditions of critically diminished fast auditory processing and reduced tonic inhibitory strength, hyperexcitability can be part of an increased synchronization over a broader frequency range, linked to reduced spiking reliability (central neural gain⇓). This latter stage mutually reinforces diminished metabolic support for auditory adjustment processes, increasing the risks for canonical dementia syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlies Knipper
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Center (THRC), Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- *Correspondence: Marlies Knipper,
| | - Wibke Singer
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Center (THRC), Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Kerstin Schwabe
- Experimental Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - Gisela E. Hagberg
- Department of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University Hospital Tübingen (UKT), Tübingen, Germany
- High-Field Magnetic Resonance, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Yiwen Li Hegner
- MEG Center, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Center of Neurology, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lukas Rüttiger
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Center (THRC), Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Christoph Braun
- MEG Center, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Center of Neurology, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Rüdiger Land
- Department of Experimental Otology, Institute for Audioneurotechnology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
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13
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Newton S, Kong F, Carlton AJ, Aguilar C, Parker A, Codner GF, Teboul L, Wells S, Brown SDM, Marcotti W, Bowl MR. Neuroplastin genetically interacts with Cadherin 23 and the encoded isoform Np55 is sufficient for cochlear hair cell function and hearing. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1009937. [PMID: 35100259 PMCID: PMC8830789 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian hearing involves the mechanoelectrical transduction (MET) of sound-induced fluid waves in the cochlea. Essential to this process are the specialised sensory cochlear cells, the inner (IHCs) and outer hair cells (OHCs). While genetic hearing loss is highly heterogeneous, understanding the requirement of each gene will lead to a better understanding of the molecular basis of hearing and also to therapeutic opportunities for deafness. The Neuroplastin (Nptn) gene, which encodes two protein isoforms Np55 and Np65, is required for hearing, and homozygous loss-of-function mutations that affect both isoforms lead to profound deafness in mice. Here we have utilised several distinct mouse models to elaborate upon the spatial, temporal, and functional requirement of Nptn for hearing. While we demonstrate that both Np55 and Np65 are present in cochlear cells, characterisation of a Np65-specific mouse knockout shows normal hearing thresholds indicating that Np65 is functionally redundant for hearing. In contrast, we find that Nptn-knockout mice have significantly reduced maximal MET currents and MET channel open probabilities in mature OHCs, with both OHCs and IHCs also failing to develop fully mature basolateral currents. Furthermore, comparing the hearing thresholds and IHC synapse structure of Nptn-knockout mice with those of mice that lack Nptn only in IHCs and OHCs shows that the majority of the auditory deficit is explained by hair cell dysfunction, with abnormal afferent synapses contributing only a small proportion of the hearing loss. Finally, we show that continued expression of Neuroplastin in OHCs of adult mice is required for membrane localisation of Plasma Membrane Ca2+ ATPase 2 (PMCA2), which is essential for hearing function. Moreover, Nptn haploinsufficiency phenocopies Atp2b2 (encodes PMCA2) mutations, with heterozygous Nptn-knockout mice exhibiting hearing loss through genetic interaction with the Cdh23ahl allele. Together, our findings provide further insight to the functional requirement of Neuroplastin for mammalian hearing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sherylanne Newton
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Fanbo Kong
- School of Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Adam J. Carlton
- School of Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Carlos Aguilar
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Parker
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Gemma F. Codner
- Mary Lyon Centre, MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Lydia Teboul
- Mary Lyon Centre, MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Sara Wells
- Mary Lyon Centre, MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Steve D. M. Brown
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Walter Marcotti
- School of Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Sheffield Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Michael R. Bowl
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Oxford, United Kingdom
- UCL Ear Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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14
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Barravecchia I, Demontis GC. HCN1 channels: A versatile tool for signal processing by primary sensory neurons. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 166:133-146. [PMID: 34197835 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2021.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Most primary sensory neurons (PSNs) generate a slowly-activating inward current in response to membrane hyperpolarization (Ih) and express HCN1 along with additional isoforms coding for hyperpolarization-activated channels (HCN). Changes in HCN expression may affect the excitability and firing patterns of PSNs, but retinal and inner ear PSNs do not fire action potentials, suggesting HCN channel roles may extend beyond excitability and cell firing control. In patients taking Ih blockers, photopsia triggered in response to abrupt changes in luminance correlates with impaired visual signal processing via parallel rod and cone pathways. Furthermore, in a mouse model of inherited retinal degeneration, HCN blockers or Hcn1 genetic ablation may worsen photoreceptors' demise. PSN's use of HCN channels to adjust either their firing rate or process signals generated by sensory transduction in non-spiking PSNs indicates HCN1 channels as a versatile tool with a novel role in sensory processing beyond firing control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Barravecchia
- Department of Pharmacy, Università di Pisa, Italy, Via Bonanno, 6, 56126, Pisa, Italy; Istitute of Life Science, Scuola Superiore Sant' Anna, 56127, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Gian Carlo Demontis
- Department of Pharmacy, Università di Pisa, Italy, Via Bonanno, 6, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
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15
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Jeng JY, Harasztosi C, Carlton A, Corns L, Marchetta P, Johnson SL, Goodyear RJ, Legan KP, Rüttiger L, Richardson GP, Marcotti W. MET currents and otoacoustic emissions from mice with a detached tectorial membrane indicate the extracellular matrix regulates Ca 2+ near stereocilia. J Physiol 2021; 599:2015-2036. [PMID: 33559882 PMCID: PMC7612128 DOI: 10.1113/jp280905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS The aim was to determine whether detachment of the tectorial membrane (TM) from the organ of Corti in Tecta/Tectb-/- mice affects the biophysical properties of cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs). Tecta/Tectb-/- mice have highly elevated hearing thresholds, but OHCs mature normally. Mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channel resting open probability (Po ) in mature OHC is ∼50% in endolymphatic [Ca2+ ], resulting in a large standing depolarizing MET current that would allow OHCs to act optimally as electromotile cochlear amplifiers. MET channel resting Po in vivo is also high in Tecta/Tectb-/- mice, indicating that the TM is unlikely to statically bias the hair bundles of OHCs. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), a readout of active, MET-dependent, non-linear cochlear amplification in OHCs, fail to exhibit long-lasting adaptation to repetitive stimulation in Tecta/Tectb-/- mice. We conclude that during prolonged, sound-induced stimulation of the cochlea the TM may determine the extracellular Ca2+ concentration near the OHC's MET channels. ABSTRACT The tectorial membrane (TM) is an acellular structure of the cochlea that is attached to the stereociliary bundles of the outer hair cells (OHCs), electromotile cells that amplify motion of the cochlear partition and sharpen its frequency selectivity. Although the TM is essential for hearing, its role is still not fully understood. In Tecta/Tectb-/- double knockout mice, in which the TM is not coupled to the OHC stereocilia, hearing sensitivity is considerably reduced compared with that of wild-type animals. In vivo, the OHC receptor potentials, assessed using cochlear microphonics, are symmetrical in both wild-type and Tecta/Tectb-/- mice, indicating that the TM does not bias the hair bundle resting position. The functional maturation of hair cells is also unaffected in Tecta/Tectb-/- mice, and the resting open probability of the mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channel reaches values of ∼50% when the hair bundles of mature OHCs are bathed in an endolymphatic-like Ca2+ concentration (40 μM) in vitro. The resultant large MET current depolarizes OHCs to near -40 mV, a value that would allow optimal activation of the motor protein prestin and normal cochlear amplification. Although the set point of the OHC receptor potential transfer function in vivo may therefore be determined primarily by endolymphatic Ca2+ concentration, repetitive acoustic stimulation fails to produce adaptation of MET-dependent otoacoustic emissions in vivo in the Tecta/Tectb-/- mice. Therefore, the TM is likely to contribute to the regulation of Ca2+ levels around the stereocilia, and thus adaptation of the OHC MET channel during prolonged sound stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Yi Jeng
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Csaba Harasztosi
- Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, THRC, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Adam Carlton
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Laura Corns
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Philine Marchetta
- Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, THRC, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stuart L. Johnson
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | | | - Kevin P. Legan
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Lukas Rüttiger
- Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, THRC, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Guy P. Richardson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Walter Marcotti
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
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16
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Petitpré C, Bourien J, Wu H, Diuba A, Puel JL, Lallemend F. Genetic and functional diversity of primary auditory afferents. CURRENT OPINION IN PHYSIOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cophys.2020.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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17
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Voorn RA, Vogl C. Molecular Assembly and Structural Plasticity of Sensory Ribbon Synapses-A Presynaptic Perspective. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E8758. [PMID: 33228215 PMCID: PMC7699581 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the mammalian cochlea, specialized ribbon-type synapses between sensory inner hair cells (IHCs) and postsynaptic spiral ganglion neurons ensure the temporal precision and indefatigability of synaptic sound encoding. These high-through-put synapses are presynaptically characterized by an electron-dense projection-the synaptic ribbon-which provides structural scaffolding and tethers a large pool of synaptic vesicles. While advances have been made in recent years in deciphering the molecular anatomy and function of these specialized active zones, the developmental assembly of this presynaptic interaction hub remains largely elusive. In this review, we discuss the dynamic nature of IHC (pre-) synaptogenesis and highlight molecular key players as well as the transport pathways underlying this process. Since developmental assembly appears to be a highly dynamic process, we further ask if this structural plasticity might be maintained into adulthood, how this may influence the functional properties of a given IHC synapse and how such plasticity could be regulated on the molecular level. To do so, we take a closer look at other ribbon-bearing systems, such as retinal photoreceptors and pinealocytes and aim to infer conserved mechanisms that may mediate these phenomena.
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MESH Headings
- Alcohol Oxidoreductases/genetics
- Alcohol Oxidoreductases/metabolism
- Animals
- Co-Repressor Proteins/genetics
- Co-Repressor Proteins/metabolism
- Cytoskeletal Proteins/genetics
- Cytoskeletal Proteins/metabolism
- Cytoskeleton/metabolism
- Cytoskeleton/ultrastructure
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
- Hair Cells, Auditory, Inner/metabolism
- Hair Cells, Auditory, Inner/ultrastructure
- Hair Cells, Auditory, Outer/metabolism
- Hair Cells, Auditory, Outer/ultrastructure
- Hair Cells, Vestibular/metabolism
- Hair Cells, Vestibular/ultrastructure
- Mechanotransduction, Cellular
- Mice
- Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics
- Nerve Tissue Proteins/metabolism
- Neuronal Plasticity/genetics
- Neuropeptides/genetics
- Neuropeptides/metabolism
- Rats
- Synapses/metabolism
- Synapses/ultrastructure
- Synaptic Transmission/genetics
- Synaptic Vesicles/metabolism
- Synaptic Vesicles/ultrastructure
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Affiliation(s)
- Roos Anouk Voorn
- Presynaptogenesis and Intracellular Transport in Hair Cells Junior Research Group, Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLab, University Medical Center Goettingen, 37075 Goettingen, Germany;
- Göttingen Graduate Center for Neurosciences, Biophysics and Molecular Biosciences, 37075 Goettingen, Germany
- Collaborative Research Center 889 “Cellular Mechanisms of Sensory Processing”, 37075 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Christian Vogl
- Presynaptogenesis and Intracellular Transport in Hair Cells Junior Research Group, Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLab, University Medical Center Goettingen, 37075 Goettingen, Germany;
- Collaborative Research Center 889 “Cellular Mechanisms of Sensory Processing”, 37075 Goettingen, Germany
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18
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Martelletti E, Ingham NJ, Houston O, Pass JC, Chen J, Marcotti W, Steel KP. Synaptojanin2 Mutation Causes Progressive High-frequency Hearing Loss in Mice. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:561857. [PMID: 33100973 PMCID: PMC7546894 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.561857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Progressive hearing loss is very common in the human population but we know little about the underlying molecular mechanisms. Synaptojanin2 (Synj2) has been reported to be involved, as a mouse mutation led to a progressive increase in auditory thresholds with age. Synaptojanin2 is a phosphatidylinositol (PI) phosphatase that removes the five-position phosphates from phosphoinositides, such as PIP2 and PIP3, and is a key enzyme in clathrin-mediated endocytosis. To investigate the mechanisms underlying progressive hearing loss, we have studied a different mutation of mouse Synj2 to look for any evidence of involvement of vesicle trafficking particularly affecting the synapses of sensory hair cells. Auditory brainstem responses (ABR) developed normally at first but started to decline between 3 and 4 weeks of age in Synj2tm1b mutants. At 6 weeks old, some evidence of outer hair cell (OHC) stereocilia fusion and degeneration was observed, but this was only seen in the extreme basal turn so cannot explain the raised ABR thresholds that correspond to more apical regions of the cochlear duct. We found no evidence of any defect in inner hair cell (IHC) exocytosis or endocytosis using single hair cell recordings, nor any sign of hair cell synaptic abnormalities. Endocochlear potentials (EP) were normal. The mechanism underlying progressive hearing loss in these mutants remains elusive, but our findings of raised distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) thresholds and signs of OHC degeneration both suggest an OHC origin for the hearing loss. Synaptojanin2 is not required for normal development of hearing but it is important for its maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Martelletti
- Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Neil J Ingham
- Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Oliver Houston
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Johanna C Pass
- Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jing Chen
- Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Walter Marcotti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.,Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Karen P Steel
- Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
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19
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Jovanovic S, Milenkovic I. Purinergic Modulation of Activity in the Developing Auditory Pathway. Neurosci Bull 2020; 36:1285-1298. [PMID: 33040238 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-020-00586-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Purinergic P2 receptors, activated by endogenous ATP, are prominently expressed on neuronal and non-neuronal cells during development of the auditory periphery and central auditory neurons. In the mature cochlea, extracellular ATP contributes to ion homeostasis, and has a protective function against noise exposure. Here, we focus on the modulation of activity by extracellular ATP during early postnatal development of the lower auditory pathway. In mammals, spontaneous patterned activity is conveyed along afferent auditory pathways before the onset of acoustically evoked signal processing. During this critical developmental period, inner hair cells fire bursts of action potentials that are believed to provide a developmental code for synaptic maturation and refinement of auditory circuits, thereby establishing a precise tonotopic organization. Endogenous ATP-release triggers such patterned activity by raising the extracellular K+ concentration and contributes to firing by increasing the excitability of auditory nerve fibers, spiral ganglion neurons, and specific neuron types within the auditory brainstem, through the activation of diverse P2 receptors. We review recent studies that provide new models on the contribution of purinergic signaling to early development of the afferent auditory pathway. Further, we discuss potential future directions of purinergic research in the auditory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sasa Jovanovic
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Ivan Milenkovic
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.
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20
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Long-term potentiation of glycinergic synapses by semi-natural stimulation patterns during tonotopic map refinement. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16899. [PMID: 33037263 PMCID: PMC7547119 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73050-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Before the onset of hearing, cochlea-generated patterns of spontaneous spike activity drive the maturation of central auditory circuits. In the glycinergic sound localization pathway from the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) to the lateral superior olive (LSO) this spontaneous activity guides the strengthening and silencing of synapses which underlies tonotopic map refinement. However, the mechanisms by which patterned activity regulates synaptic refinement in the MNTB-LSO pathway are still poorly understood. To address this question, we recorded from LSO neurons in slices from prehearing mice while stimulating MNTB afferents with stimulation patterns that mimicked those present in vivo. We found that these semi-natural stimulation patterns reliably elicited a novel form of long-term potentiation (LTP) of MNTB-LSO synapses. Stimulation patterns that lacked the characteristic high-frequency (200 Hz) component of prehearing spike activity failed to elicit potentiation. LTP was calcium dependent, required the activation of both g-protein coupled GABAB and metabotropic glutamate receptors and involved an increase in postsynaptic glycine receptor-mediated currents. Our results provide a possible mechanism linking spontaneous spike bursts to tonotopic map refinement and further highlight the importance of the co-release of GABA and glutamate from immature glycinergic MNTB terminals.
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21
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Jeng JY, Ceriani F, Olt J, Brown SDM, Holley MC, Bowl MR, Johnson SL, Marcotti W. Pathophysiological changes in inner hair cell ribbon synapses in the ageing mammalian cochlea. J Physiol 2020; 598:4339-4355. [PMID: 32710572 DOI: 10.1113/jp280018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is associated with the loss of inner hair cell (IHC) ribbon synapses, lower hearing sensitivity and decreased ability to understand speech, especially in a noisy environment. Little is known about the age-related physiological and morphological changes that occur at ribbon synapses. We show that the differing degrees of ARHL in four selected mouse stains is correlated with the loss of ribbon synapses, being most severe for the strains C57BL/6NTac and C57BL/6J, less so for C57BL/6NTacCdh23+ -Repaired and lowest for C3H/HeJ. Despite the loss of ribbon synapses with age, the volume of the remaining ribbons increased and the size and kinetics of Ca2+ -dependent exocytosis in IHCs was unaffected, indicating the presence of a previously unknown degree of functional compensation at ribbon synapses. Although the age-related morphological changes at IHC ribbon synapses contribute to the different progression of ARHL, without the observed functional compensation hearing loss could be greater. ABSTRACT Mammalian cochlear inner hair cells (IHCs) are specialized sensory receptors able to provide dynamic coding of sound signals. This ability is largely conferred by their ribbon synapses, which tether a large number of vesicles at the IHC's presynaptic active zones, allowing high rates of sustained synaptic transmission onto the afferent fibres. How the physiological and morphological properties of ribbon synapses change with age remains largely unknown. Here, we have investigated the biophysical and morphological properties of IHC ribbon synapses in the ageing cochlea (9-12 kHz region) of four mouse strains commonly used in hearing research: early-onset progressive hearing loss (C57BL/6J and C57BL/6NTac) and 'good hearing' strains (C57BL/6NTacCdh23+ and C3H/HeJ). We found that with age, both modiolar and pillar sides of the IHC exhibited a loss of ribbons, but there was an increased volume of those that remained. These morphological changes, which only occurred after 6 months of age, were correlated with the level of hearing loss in the different mouse strains, being most severe for C57BL/6NTac and C57BL/6J, less so for C57BL/6NTacCdh23+ and absent for C3H/HeJ strains. Despite the age-related reduction in ribbon number in three of the four strains, the size and kinetics of Ca2+ -dependent exocytosis, as well as the replenishment of synaptic vesicles, in IHCs was not affected. The degree of vesicle release at the fewer, but larger, individual remaining ribbon synapses colocalized with the post-synaptic afferent terminals is likely to increase, indicating the presence of a previously unknown degree of functional compensation in the ageing mouse cochlea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Yi Jeng
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.,Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Federico Ceriani
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.,Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Jennifer Olt
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Steve D M Brown
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, MRC Harwell Institute, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Matthew C Holley
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Michael R Bowl
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, MRC Harwell Institute, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Stuart L Johnson
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.,Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Walter Marcotti
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.,Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
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22
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Schade-Mann T, Münkner S, Eckrich T, Engel J. Calcium signaling in interdental cells during the critical developmental period of the mouse cochlea. Hear Res 2020; 389:107913. [PMID: 32120242 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2020.107913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The tectorial membrane (TM), a complex acellular structure that covers part of the organ of Corti and excites outer hair cells, is required for normal hearing. It consists of collagen fibrils and various glycoproteins, which are synthesized in embryonic and postnatal development by different cochlear cell types including the interdental cells (IDCs). At its modiolar side, the TM is fixed to the apical surfaces of IDCs, which form the covering epithelium of the spiral limbus. We performed confocal membrane imaging and Ca2+ imaging in IDCs of the developing mouse cochlea from birth to postnatal day 18 (P18). Using the fluorescent membrane markers FM 4-64 and CellMask™ Deep Red on explanted whole-mount cochlear epithelium, we identified the morphology of IDCs at different z-levels of the spiral limbus. Ca2+ imaging of Fluo-8 AM-loaded cochlear epithelia revealed spontaneous intracellular Ca2+ transients in IDCs at P0/1, P4/5, and P18. Their relative frequency was lowest on P0/1, increased by a factor of 12.5 on P4/5 and decreased to twice the initial value on P18. At all three ages, stimulation of IDCs with the trinucleotides ATP and UTP at 1 and 10 μM elicited Ca2+ transients of varying amplitude and shape. Before the onset of hearing, IDCs responded with robust Ca2+ oscillations. At P18, after the onset of hearing, ATP stimulation either caused Ca2+ oscillations or an initial Ca2+ peak followed by a plateau while the UTP response was unchanged from that at pre-hearing stage. Parameters of spontaneous and nucleotide-evoked Ca2+ transients such as amplitude, decay time and duration were markedly reduced during cochlear development, whereas the kinetics of the Ca2+ rise did not show relevant changes. Whether low-frequency spontaneous Ca2+ transients are necessary for the formation and maintenance of the tectorial membrane e.g. by regulating gene transcription needs to be elucidated in further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thore Schade-Mann
- Dept. of Biophysics & CIPMM, Hearing Research, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany; Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen University Medical Centre, Germany
| | - Stefan Münkner
- Dept. of Biophysics & CIPMM, Hearing Research, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Eckrich
- Dept. of Biophysics & CIPMM, Hearing Research, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
| | - Jutta Engel
- Dept. of Biophysics & CIPMM, Hearing Research, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany.
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23
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Zhou Y, Xia C, Yin M, Wang X, Wu H, Ji Y. Distribution and Functional Characteristics of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels in Immature Cochlear Hair Cells. Neurosci Bull 2020; 36:49-65. [PMID: 31388930 PMCID: PMC6940418 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-019-00415-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are transiently expressed in cochlear hair cells before hearing onset and play an indispensable role in shaping spontaneous activity. In this study, we showed that Na+ currents shaped the spontaneous action potentials in developing mouse inner hair cells (IHCs) by decreasing the time required for the membrane potential to reach the action-potential threshold. In immature IHCs, we identified 9 known VGSC subtypes (Nav1.1α-1.9α), among which Nav1.7α was the most highly expressed subtype and the main contributor to Na+ currents in developing hair cells. Electrophysiological recordings of two cochlea-specific Nav1.7 variants (CbmNav1.7a and CbmNav1.7b) revealed a novel loss-of-function mutation (C934R) at the extracellular linker between segments 5 and 6 of domain II. In addition, post-transcriptional modification events, such as alternative splicing and RNA editing, amended the gating properties and kinetic features of CbmNav1.7a(C934). These results provide molecular and functional characteristics of VGSCs in mammalian IHCs and their contributions to spontaneous physiological activity during cochlear maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- You Zhou
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China
- Ear Institute, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine on Ear and Nose Diseases, Shanghai, 200125, China
| | - Chenchen Xia
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Neurotoxicology, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China
| | - Manli Yin
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Neurotoxicology, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China
| | - Xueling Wang
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China
- Ear Institute, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine on Ear and Nose Diseases, Shanghai, 200125, China
| | - Hao Wu
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China.
- Ear Institute, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine on Ear and Nose Diseases, Shanghai, 200125, China.
| | - Yonghua Ji
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Neurotoxicology, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China.
- Translational Institute for Cancer Pain, Xinhua Hospital Chongming Branch, Shanghai, 202150, China.
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24
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Johnson SL, Safieddine S, Mustapha M, Marcotti W. Hair Cell Afferent Synapses: Function and Dysfunction. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2019; 9:a033175. [PMID: 30617058 PMCID: PMC6886459 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a033175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
To provide a meaningful representation of the auditory landscape, mammalian cochlear hair cells are optimized to detect sounds over an incredibly broad range of frequencies and intensities with unparalleled accuracy. This ability is largely conferred by specialized ribbon synapses that continuously transmit acoustic information with high fidelity and sub-millisecond precision to the afferent dendrites of the spiral ganglion neurons. To achieve this extraordinary task, ribbon synapses employ a unique combination of molecules and mechanisms that are tailored to sounds of different frequencies. Here we review the current understanding of how the hair cell's presynaptic machinery and its postsynaptic afferent connections are formed, how they mature, and how their function is adapted for an accurate perception of sound.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart L Johnson
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Saaid Safieddine
- UMRS 1120, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, Complexité du Vivant, Paris, France
| | - Mirna Mustapha
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94035
| | - Walter Marcotti
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom
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25
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Zhou Y, Pan P, Tan ZY, Ji YH. Voltage-gated Sodium Channels in Sensory Information Processing. CNS & NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS-DRUG TARGETS 2019; 18:273-278. [DOI: 10.2174/1871527317666180627114849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Revised: 04/04/2018] [Accepted: 05/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Objective & Background:
Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) and potassium channels
are critical in the generation of action potentials in the nervous system. VGSCs and potassium
channels play important roles in the five fundamental senses of vision, audition, olfaction, taste and
touch. Dysfunctional VGSCs are associated with clinical sensory symptoms, such as hyperpselaphesia,
parosphresia, and so on.
Conclusion:
This short review highlights the recent advances in the study of VGSCs in sensory information
processing and discusses the potential role of VGSCs to serve as pharmacological targets for
the treatment of sensory system diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- You Zhou
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Neurotoxicology, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Ping Pan
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Neurotoxicology, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Zhi-Yong Tan
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
| | - Yong-Hua Ji
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Neurotoxicology, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
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26
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Bardhan T, Jeng J, Waldmann M, Ceriani F, Johnson SL, Olt J, Rüttiger L, Marcotti W, Holley MC. Gata3 is required for the functional maturation of inner hair cells and their innervation in the mouse cochlea. J Physiol 2019; 597:3389-3406. [PMID: 31069810 PMCID: PMC6636704 DOI: 10.1113/jp277997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS The physiological maturation of auditory hair cells and their innervation requires precise temporal and spatial control of cell differentiation. The transcription factor gata3 is essential for the earliest stages of auditory system development and for survival and synaptogenesis in auditory sensory afferent neurons. We show that during postnatal development in the mouse inner ear gata3 is required for the biophysical maturation, growth and innervation of inner hair cells; in contrast, it is required only for the survival of outer hair cells. Loss of gata3 in inner hair cells causes progressive hearing loss and accounts for at least some of the deafness associated with the human hypoparathyroidism, deafness and renal anomaly (HDR) syndrome. The results show that gata3 is critical for later stages of mammalian auditory system development where it plays distinct, complementary roles in the coordinated maturation of sensory hair cells and their innervation. ABSTRACT The zinc finger transcription factor gata3 regulates inner ear development from the formation of the embryonic otic placode. Throughout development, gata3 is expressed dynamically in all the major cochlear cell types. Its role in afferent formation is well established but its possible involvement in hair cell maturation remains unknown. Here, we find that in heterozygous gata3 null mice (gata3+/- ) outer hair cells (OHCs) differentiate normally but their numbers are significantly lower. In contrast, inner hair cells (IHCs) survive normally but they fail to acquire adult basolateral membrane currents, retain pre-hearing current and efferent innervation profiles and have fewer ribbon synapses. Targeted deletion of gata3 driven by otoferlin-cre recombinase (gata3fl/fl otof-cre+/- ) in IHCs does not affect OHCs or the number of IHC afferent synapses but it leads to a failure in IHC maturation comparable to that observed in gata3+/- mice. Auditory brainstem responses in gata3fl/fl otof-cre+/- mice reveal progressive hearing loss that becomes profound by 6-7 months, whilst distortion product otoacoustic emissions are no different to control animals up to this age. Our results, alongside existing data, indicate that gata3 has specific, complementary functions in different cell types during inner ear development and that its continued expression in the sensory epithelium orchestrates critical aspects of physiological development and neural connectivity. Furthermore, our work indicates that hearing loss in human hypoparathyroidism, deafness and renal anomaly (HDR) syndrome arises from functional deficits in IHCs as well as loss of function from OHCs and both afferent and efferent neurons.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Cell Differentiation/physiology
- Cochlea/metabolism
- Cochlea/physiology
- GATA3 Transcription Factor/metabolism
- Hair Cells, Auditory, Inner/metabolism
- Hair Cells, Auditory, Inner/physiology
- Hair Cells, Auditory, Outer/metabolism
- Hair Cells, Auditory, Outer/physiology
- Hair Cells, Vestibular/metabolism
- Hair Cells, Vestibular/physiology
- Hearing/physiology
- Hearing Loss/metabolism
- Hearing Loss/physiopathology
- Membrane Proteins/metabolism
- Mice, Knockout
- Mice, Transgenic
- Sensory Receptor Cells/metabolism
- Sensory Receptor Cells/physiology
- Synapses/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanaya Bardhan
- Department of Biomedical ScienceUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Jing‐Yi Jeng
- Department of Biomedical ScienceUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Marco Waldmann
- Department of OtolaryngologyTübingen Hearing Research CenterSection of Physiological Acoustics and CommunicationUniversity of Tübingen72076TübingenGermany
| | - Federico Ceriani
- Department of Biomedical ScienceUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | | | - Jennifer Olt
- Department of Biomedical ScienceUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Lukas Rüttiger
- Department of OtolaryngologyTübingen Hearing Research CenterSection of Physiological Acoustics and CommunicationUniversity of Tübingen72076TübingenGermany
| | - Walter Marcotti
- Department of Biomedical ScienceUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
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27
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Mammano F. Inner Ear Connexin Channels: Roles in Development and Maintenance of Cochlear Function. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2019; 9:a033233. [PMID: 30181354 PMCID: PMC6601451 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a033233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Connexin 26 and connexin 30 are the prevailing isoforms in the epithelial and connective tissue gap junction systems of the developing and mature cochlea. The most frequently encountered variants of the genes that encode these connexins, which are transcriptionally coregulated, determine complete loss of protein function and are the predominant cause of prelingual hereditary deafness. Reducing connexin 26 expression by Cre/loxP recombination in the inner ear of adult mice results in a decreased endocochlear potential, increased hearing thresholds, and loss of >90% of outer hair cells, indicating that this connexin is essential for maintenance of cochlear function. In the developing cochlea, connexins are necessary for intercellular calcium signaling activity. Ribbon synapses and basolateral membrane currents fail to mature in inner hair cells of mice that are born with reduced connexin expression, even though hair cells do not express any connexin. In contrast, pannexin 1, an alternative mediator of intercellular signaling, is dispensable for hearing acquisition and auditory function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Mammano
- University of Padova, Department of Physics and Astronomy "G. Galilei," Padova 35129, Italy
- CNR Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Monterotondo 00015, Italy
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
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28
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Eckrich S, Hecker D, Sorg K, Blum K, Fischer K, Münkner S, Wenzel G, Schick B, Engel J. Cochlea-Specific Deletion of Ca v1.3 Calcium Channels Arrests Inner Hair Cell Differentiation and Unravels Pitfalls of Conditional Mouse Models. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:225. [PMID: 31178698 PMCID: PMC6538774 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Inner hair cell (IHC) Cav1.3 Ca2+ channels are multifunctional channels mediating Ca2+ influx for exocytosis at ribbon synapses, the generation of Ca2+ action potentials in pre-hearing IHCs and gene expression. IHCs of deaf systemic Cav1.3-deficient (Cav1.3-/-) mice stay immature because they fail to up-regulate voltage- and Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels but persistently express small conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK2) channels. In pre-hearing wildtype mice, cholinergic neurons from the superior olivary complex (SOC) exert efferent inhibition onto spontaneously active immature IHCs by activating their SK2 channels. Because Cav1.3 plays an important role for survival, health and function of SOC neurons, SK2 channel persistence and lack of BK channels in systemic Cav1.3-/- IHCs may result from malfunctioning neurons of the SOC. Here we analyze cochlea-specific Cav1.3 knockout mice with green fluorescent protein (GFP) switch reporter function, Pax2::cre;Cacna1d-eGFPflex/flexand Pax2::cre;Cacna1d-eGFPflex/-. Profound hearing loss, lack of BK channels and persistence of SK2 channels in Pax2::cre;Cacna1d-eGFPflex/- mice recapitulated the phenotype of systemic Cav1.3-/- mice, indicating that in wildtype mice, regulation of SK2 and BK channel expression is independent of Cav1.3 expression in SOC neurons. In addition, we noticed dose-dependent GFP toxicity leading to death of basal coil IHCs of Pax2::cre;Cacna1d-eGFPflex/flex mice, likely because of high GFP concentration and small repair capacity. This and the slower time course of Pax2-driven Cre recombinase in switching two rather than one Cacna1d-eGFPflex allele lead us to study Pax2::cre;Cacna1d-eGFPflex/- mice. Notably, control Cacna1d-eGFPflex/- IHCs showed a significant reduction in Cav1.3 channel cluster sizes and currents, suggesting that the intronic construct interfered with gene translation or splicing. These pitfalls are likely to be a frequent problem of many genetically modified mice with complex or multiple gene-targeting constructs or fluorescent proteins. Great caution and appropriate controls are therefore required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Eckrich
- Department of Biophysics, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), School of Medicine, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
| | - Dietmar Hecker
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Sorg
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
| | - Kerstin Blum
- Department of Biophysics, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), School of Medicine, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
| | - Kerstin Fischer
- Department of Biophysics, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), School of Medicine, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Münkner
- Department of Biophysics, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), School of Medicine, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
| | - Gentiana Wenzel
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
| | - Bernhard Schick
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
| | - Jutta Engel
- Department of Biophysics, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), School of Medicine, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
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29
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Ceriani F, Hendry A, Jeng JY, Johnson SL, Stephani F, Olt J, Holley MC, Mammano F, Engel J, Kros CJ, Simmons DD, Marcotti W. Coordinated calcium signalling in cochlear sensory and non-sensory cells refines afferent innervation of outer hair cells. EMBO J 2019; 38:embj.201899839. [PMID: 30804003 PMCID: PMC6484507 DOI: 10.15252/embj.201899839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Revised: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Outer hair cells (OHCs) are highly specialized sensory cells conferring the fine‐tuning and high sensitivity of the mammalian cochlea to acoustic stimuli. Here, by genetically manipulating spontaneous Ca2+ signalling in mice in vivo, through a period of early postnatal development, we find that the refinement of OHC afferent innervation is regulated by complementary spontaneous Ca2+ signals originating in OHCs and non‐sensory cells. OHCs fire spontaneous Ca2+ action potentials during a narrow period of neonatal development. Simultaneously, waves of Ca2+ activity in the non‐sensory cells of the greater epithelial ridge cause, via ATP‐induced activation of P2X3 receptors, the increase and synchronization of the Ca2+ activity in nearby OHCs. This synchronization is required for the refinement of their immature afferent innervation. In the absence of connexin channels, Ca2+ waves are impaired, leading to a reduction in the number of ribbon synapses and afferent fibres on OHCs. We propose that the correct maturation of the afferent connectivity of OHCs requires experience‐independent Ca2+ signals from sensory and non‐sensory cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Ceriani
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Aenea Hendry
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jing-Yi Jeng
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Stuart L Johnson
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Friederike Stephani
- Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
| | - Jennifer Olt
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Matthew C Holley
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Fabio Mammano
- Department of Physics and Astronomy "G. Galilei", University of Padua, Padova, Italy.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Italian National Research Council, Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Jutta Engel
- Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
| | - Corné J Kros
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | | | - Walter Marcotti
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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30
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Pickett SB, Raible DW. Water Waves to Sound Waves: Using Zebrafish to Explore Hair Cell Biology. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2019; 20:1-19. [PMID: 30635804 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-018-00711-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Although perhaps best known for their use in developmental studies, over the last couple of decades, zebrafish have become increasingly popular model organisms for investigating auditory system function and disease. Like mammals, zebrafish possess inner ear mechanosensory hair cells required for hearing, as well as superficial hair cells of the lateral line sensory system, which mediate detection of directional water flow. Complementing mammalian studies, zebrafish have been used to gain significant insights into many facets of hair cell biology, including mechanotransduction and synaptic physiology as well as mechanisms of both hereditary and acquired hair cell dysfunction. Here, we provide an overview of this literature, highlighting some of the particular advantages of using zebrafish to investigate hearing and hearing loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah B Pickett
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Health Sciences Building H-501, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Box 357420, Seattle, WA, 98195-7420, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Box 357270, Seattle, WA, 98195-7270, USA
| | - David W Raible
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Health Sciences Building H-501, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Box 357420, Seattle, WA, 98195-7420, USA.
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Box 357270, Seattle, WA, 98195-7270, USA.
- Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center, University of Washington, 1701 NE Columbia Rd, Box 357923, Seattle, WA, 98195-7923, USA.
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31
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Harrus AG, Ceccato JC, Sendin G, Bourien J, Puel JL, Nouvian R. Spiking Pattern of the Mouse Developing Inner Hair Cells Is Mostly Invariant Along the Tonotopic Axis. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:407. [PMID: 30524238 PMCID: PMC6262317 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
During development, the sensory cells of the cochlea, the inner hair cells (IHCs), fire spontaneous calcium action potentials. This activity at the pre-hearing stage allows the IHCs to autonomously excite the auditory nerve fibers and hence, represents an efficient mechanism to shape the tonotopic organization along the ascending auditory pathway. Using calcium imaging, we show that the activity in the developing cochlea consists of calcium waves that propagate across the supporting and sensory cells. Both basal and apical IHCs were characterized by similar spontaneous calcium transients interspaced with silent periods, consistent with bursts of action potentials recorded in patch-clamp. In addition, adjacent auditory hair cells tend to have a synchronized [Ca2+]i activity, irrespective of their location along the base-to-apex gradient of the cochlea. Finally, we show that the mechanical ablation of the inner phalangeal cells (IPCs), a class of supporting cells, reduces the synchronized [Ca2+]i activity between neighboring sensory cells. These findings support the hypothesis that the tonotopic map refinement in higher auditory centers would depend on the synchronization of a discrete number of auditory sensory cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Gabrielle Harrus
- Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier (INM), Inserm, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-Charles Ceccato
- Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier (INM), Inserm, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Gaston Sendin
- Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier (INM), Inserm, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Jérôme Bourien
- Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier (INM), Inserm, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-Luc Puel
- Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier (INM), Inserm, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Régis Nouvian
- Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier (INM), Inserm, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
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32
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Mechanotransduction is required for establishing and maintaining mature inner hair cells and regulating efferent innervation. Nat Commun 2018; 9:4015. [PMID: 30275467 PMCID: PMC6167318 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06307-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the adult auditory organ, mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channels are essential for transducing acoustic stimuli into electrical signals. In the absence of incoming sound, a fraction of the MET channels on top of the sensory hair cells are open, resulting in a sustained depolarizing current. By genetically manipulating the in vivo expression of molecular components of the MET apparatus, we show that during pre-hearing stages the MET current is essential for establishing the electrophysiological properties of mature inner hair cells (IHCs). If the MET current is abolished in adult IHCs, they revert into cells showing electrical and morphological features characteristic of pre-hearing IHCs, including the re-establishment of cholinergic efferent innervation. The MET current is thus critical for the maintenance of the functional properties of adult IHCs, implying a degree of plasticity in the mature auditory system in response to the absence of normal transduction of acoustic signals. Mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channels on the tips of inner hair cells are essential for transducing auditory sensory information. Here, the authors show that disrupting MET channel function also prevents the preservation of normal inner hair cell identity in adult mice.
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Wolter S, Möhrle D, Schmidt H, Pfeiffer S, Zelle D, Eckert P, Krämer M, Feil R, Pilz PKD, Knipper M, Rüttiger L. GC-B Deficient Mice With Axon Bifurcation Loss Exhibit Compromised Auditory Processing. Front Neural Circuits 2018; 12:65. [PMID: 30275816 PMCID: PMC6152484 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2018.00065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory axon T-like branching (bifurcation) in neurons from dorsal root ganglia and cranial sensory ganglia depends on the molecular signaling cascade involving the secreted factor C-type natriuretic peptide, the natriuretic peptide receptor guanylyl cyclase B (GC-B; also known as Npr2) and cGMP-dependent protein kinase I (cGKI, also known as PKGI). The bifurcation of cranial nerves is suggested to be important for information processing by second-order neurons in the hindbrain or spinal cord. Indeed, mice with a spontaneous GC-B loss of function mutation (Npr2cn/cn ) display an impaired bifurcation of auditory nerve (AN) fibers. However, these mice did not show any obvious sign of impaired basal hearing. Here, we demonstrate that mice with a targeted inactivation of the GC-B gene (Npr2 lacZ/lacZ , GC-B KO mice) show an elevation of audiometric thresholds. In the inner ear, the cochlear hair cells in GC-B KO mice were nevertheless similar to those from wild type mice, justified by the typical expression of functionally relevant marker proteins. However, efferent cholinergic feedback to inner and outer hair cells was reduced in GC-B KO mice, linked to very likely reduced rapid efferent feedback. Sound-evoked AN responses of GC-B KO mice were elevated, a feature that is known to occur when the efferent axo-dendritic feedback on AN is compromised. Furthermore, late sound-evoked brainstem responses were significantly delayed in GC-B KO mice. This delay in sound response was accompanied by a weaker sensitivity of the auditory steady state response to amplitude-modulated sound stimuli. Finally, the acoustic startle response (ASR) - one of the fastest auditory responses - and the prepulse inhibition of the ASR indicated significant changes in temporal precision of auditory processing. These findings suggest that GC-B-controlled axon bifurcation of spiral ganglion neurons is important for proper activation of second-order neurons in the hindbrain and is a prerequisite for proper temporal auditory processing likely by establishing accurate efferent top-down control circuits. These data hypothesize that the bifurcation pattern of cranial nerves is important to shape spatial and temporal information processing for sensory feedback control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Wolter
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Dorit Möhrle
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hannes Schmidt
- Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sylvia Pfeiffer
- Department of Animal Physiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Dennis Zelle
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Physiological Acoustics and Communication, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Philipp Eckert
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michael Krämer
- Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Robert Feil
- Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Peter K D Pilz
- Department of Animal Physiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marlies Knipper
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lukas Rüttiger
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Haag N, Schüler S, Nietzsche S, Hübner CA, Strenzke N, Qualmann B, Kessels MM. The Actin Nucleator Cobl Is Critical for Centriolar Positioning, Postnatal Planar Cell Polarity Refinement, and Function of the Cochlea. Cell Rep 2018; 24:2418-2431.e6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.07.087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Revised: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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Eckrich T, Blum K, Milenkovic I, Engel J. Fast Ca 2+ Transients of Inner Hair Cells Arise Coupled and Uncoupled to Ca 2+ Waves of Inner Supporting Cells in the Developing Mouse Cochlea. Front Mol Neurosci 2018; 11:264. [PMID: 30104958 PMCID: PMC6077211 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2018.00264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Before the onset of hearing, which occurs around postnatal day 12 (P12) in mice, inner hair cells (IHCs) of the immature cochlea generate sound-independent Ca2+ action potentials (APs), which stimulate the auditory pathway and guide maturation of neuronal circuits. During these early postnatal days, intercellular propagating Ca2+ waves elicited by ATP-induced ATP release are found in inner supporting cells (ISCs). It is debated whether IHCs are able to fire Ca2+ APs independently or require a trigger by an ISC Ca2+ wave. To identify the Ca2+ transients of IHCs underlying Ca2+ APs and to analyze their dependence on ISC Ca2+ waves, we performed fast Ca2+ imaging of Fluo-8 AM-loaded organs of Corti at P4/P5. Fast Ca2+ transients (fCaTs) generated by IHCs were simultaneously imaged with Ca2+ waves in ISCs. ISC Ca2+ waves frequently evoked bursts consisting of >5 fCaTs in multiple adjacent IHCs. Although Ca2+ elevations of small amplitude appeared to be triggered by ISC Ca2+ waves in IHCs of Cav1.3 knockout mice we never observed fCaTs, indicating their requirement for Ca2+ influx through Cav1.3 channels. The Ca2+ wave-triggered Ca2+ upstroke in wildtype IHCs occurred 0.52 ± 0.27 s later than the rise of the Ca2+ signal in the adjacent ISCs. In comparison, superfusion of 1 μM ATP elicited bursts of fCaTs in IHCs starting 0.99 ± 0.34 s prior to Ca2+ elevations in adjacent ISCs. PPADS irreversibly abolished Ca2+ waves in ISCs and reversibly reduced fCaTs in IHCs indicating differential involvement of P2 receptors. IHC and ISC Ca2+ signals were however unaltered in P2X2R/P2X3R double knockout or in P2X7R knockout mice. Together, our data revealed a fairly similar occurrence of fCaTs within a burst (56.5%) compared with 43.5% as isolated single fCaTs or in groups of 2–5 fCaTs (minibursts). We provide evidence that IHCs autonomously generate single fCaTs and minibursts whereas bursts synchronized between neighboring IHCs were mostly triggered by ISC Ca2+ waves. Neonatal IHCs thus spontaneously generate electrical and Ca2+ activity, which is enhanced and largely synchronized by activity of ISCs of Kölliker’s organ indicating two sources of spontaneous activity in the developing auditory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Eckrich
- Department of Biophysics, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), Saarland University, School of Medicine, Homburg, Germany
| | - Kerstin Blum
- Department of Biophysics, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), Saarland University, School of Medicine, Homburg, Germany
| | - Ivan Milenkovic
- Carl-Ludwig-Institute for Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jutta Engel
- Department of Biophysics, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), Saarland University, School of Medicine, Homburg, Germany
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Abstract
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) has been well established as an important extracellular ligand of autocrine signaling, intercellular communication, and neurotransmission with numerous physiological and pathophysiological roles. In addition to the classical exocytosis, non-vesicular mechanisms of cellular ATP release have been demonstrated in many cell types. Although large and negatively charged ATP molecules cannot diffuse across the lipid bilayer of the plasma membrane, conductive ATP release from the cytosol into the extracellular space is possible through ATP-permeable channels. Such channels must possess two minimum qualifications for ATP permeation: anion permeability and a large ion-conducting pore. Currently, five groups of channels are acknowledged as ATP-release channels: connexin hemichannels, pannexin 1, calcium homeostasis modulator 1 (CALHM1), volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs, also known as volume-sensitive outwardly rectifying (VSOR) anion channels), and maxi-anion channels (MACs). Recently, major breakthroughs have been made in the field by molecular identification of CALHM1 as the action potential-dependent ATP-release channel in taste bud cells, LRRC8s as components of VRACs, and SLCO2A1 as a core subunit of MACs. Here, the function and physiological roles of these five groups of ATP-release channels are summarized, along with a discussion on the future implications of understanding these channels.
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Connexin-Mediated Signaling in Nonsensory Cells Is Crucial for the Development of Sensory Inner Hair Cells in the Mouse Cochlea. J Neurosci 2017; 37:258-268. [PMID: 28077706 PMCID: PMC5242392 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2251-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Revised: 10/10/2016] [Accepted: 11/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the genes encoding for gap junction proteins connexin 26 (Cx26) and connexin 30 (Cx30) have been linked to syndromic and nonsyndromic hearing loss in mice and humans. The release of ATP from connexin hemichannels in cochlear nonsensory cells has been proposed to be the main trigger for action potential activity in immature sensory inner hair cells (IHCs), which is crucial for the refinement of the developing auditory circuitry. Using connexin knock-out mice, we show that IHCs fire spontaneous action potentials even in the absence of ATP-dependent intercellular Ca2+ signaling in the nonsensory cells. However, this signaling from nonsensory cells was able to increase the intrinsic IHC firing frequency. We also found that connexin expression is key to IHC functional maturation. In Cx26 conditional knock-out mice (Cx26Sox10-Cre), the maturation of IHCs, which normally occurs at approximately postnatal day 12, was partially prevented. Although Cx30 has been shown not to be required for hearing in young adult mice, IHCs from Cx30 knock-out mice exhibited a comprehensive brake in their development, such that their basolateral membrane currents and synaptic machinery retain a prehearing phenotype. We propose that IHC functional differentiation into mature sensory receptors is initiated in the prehearing cochlea provided that the expression of either connexin reaches a threshold level. As such, connexins regulate one of the most crucial functional refinements in the mammalian cochlea, the disruption of which contributes to the deafness phenotype observed in mice and DFNB1 patients. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The correct development and function of the mammalian cochlea relies not only on the sensory hair cells, but also on the surrounding nonsensory cells. Although the nonsensory cells have been largely implicated in the general homeostasis in the mature cochlea, their involvement in the initial functional differentiation of the sensory inner hair cells is less clear. Using mutant mouse models for the most common form of congenital deafness in humans, which are knock-outs for the gap-junction channels connexin 26 and connexin 30 genes, we show that defects in nonsensory cells prevented the functional maturation of inner hair cells. In connexin knock-outs, inner hair cells remained stuck at a prehearing stage of development and, as such, are unable to process sound information.
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Spatial Gradients in the Size of Inner Hair Cell Ribbons Emerge Before the Onset of Hearing in Rats. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2017; 18:399-413. [PMID: 28361374 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-017-0620-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The size and locations of pre-synaptic ribbons and glutamate receptors within and around inner hair cells are correlated with auditory afferent response features such as the spontaneous discharge rate (SR), threshold, and dynamic range of sound intensity representation (the so-called SR-groups). To test if the development of these spatial gradients requires experience with sound intensity, we quantified the size and spatial distribution of synaptic ribbons from the inner hair cells of neonatal rats before and after the onset of hearing (from post-natal day (P) 3 to P33). To quantify ribbon size, we used high resolution fluorescence confocal microscopy and 3-D reconstructions of immunolabeled ribbons. The size, density, and spatial distribution of ribbons changed during development. At P3, ribbons were densely clustered near the basal/modiolar face of the hair cell where low SR-groups preferentially contact adult hair cells. By P12, the disparity in ribbon count was less striking and ribbons were equally likely to occupy both faces. At all ages before P12, ribbons were larger on the modiolar face than on the pillar face. These differences initially grew larger with age but collapsed around the onset of hearing. Between P12 and P33, the spatial gradients remained small and began to re-emerge around P33. Even by P12, we did not find spatial gradients in the size of the post-synaptic glutamate receptors as is found on afferent terminals contacting adult inner hair cells. These results suggest that spatial gradients in ribbon size develop in the absence of sensory experience.
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Jovanovic S, Radulovic T, Coddou C, Dietz B, Nerlich J, Stojilkovic SS, Rübsamen R, Milenkovic I. Tonotopic action potential tuning of maturing auditory neurons through endogenous ATP. J Physiol 2016; 595:1315-1337. [PMID: 28030754 DOI: 10.1113/jp273272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 11/02/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS Following the genetically controlled formation of neuronal circuits, early firing activity guides the development of sensory maps in the auditory, visual and somatosensory system. However, it is not clear whether the activity of central auditory neurons is specifically regulated depending on the position within the sensory map. In the ventral cochlear nucleus, the first central station along the auditory pathway, we describe a mechanism through which paracrine ATP signalling enhances firing in a cell-specific and tonotopically-determined manner. Developmental down-regulation of P2X2/3R currents along the tonotopic axis occurs simultaneously with an increase in AMPA receptor currents, suggesting a high-to-low frequency maturation pattern. Facilitated action potential (AP) generation, measured as higher firing rate, shorter EPSP-AP delay in vivo and shorter AP latency in slice experiments, is consistent with increased synaptic efficacy caused by ATP. The long lasting change in intrinsic neuronal excitability is mediated by the heteromeric P2X2/3 receptors. ABSTRACT Synaptic refinement and strengthening are activity-dependent processes that establish orderly arranged cochleotopic maps throughout the central auditory system. The maturation of auditory brainstem circuits is guided by action potentials (APs) arising from the inner hair cells in the developing cochlea. The AP firing of developing central auditory neurons can be modulated by paracrine ATP signalling, as shown for the cochlear nucleus bushy cells and principal neurons in the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body. However, it is not clear whether neuronal activity may be specifically regulated with respect to the nuclear tonotopic position (i.e. sound frequency selectivity). Using slice recordings before hearing onset and in vivo recordings with iontophoretic drug applications after hearing onset, we show that cell-specific purinergic modulation follows a precise tonotopic pattern in the ventral cochlear nucleus of developing gerbils. In high-frequency regions, ATP responsiveness diminished before hearing onset. In low-to-mid frequency regions, ATP modulation persisted after hearing onset in a subset of low-frequency bushy cells (characteristic frequency< 10 kHz). Down-regulation of P2X2/3R currents along the tonotopic axis occurs simultaneously with an increase in AMPA receptor currents, thus suggesting a high-to-low frequency maturation pattern. Facilitated AP generation, measured as higher firing frequency, shorter EPSP-AP delay in vivo, and shorter AP latency in slice experiments, is consistent with increased synaptic efficacy caused by ATP. Finally, by combining recordings and pharmacology in vivo, in slices, and in human embryonic kidney 293 cells, it was shown that the long lasting change in intrinsic neuronal excitability is mediated by the P2X2/3R.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saša Jovanovic
- Institute of Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tamara Radulovic
- Institute of Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Carl Ludwig Institute for Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Claudio Coddou
- Section on Cellular Signaling, Program in Developmental Neuroscience, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Beatrice Dietz
- Institute of Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jana Nerlich
- Institute of Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Carl Ludwig Institute for Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stanko S Stojilkovic
- Section on Cellular Signaling, Program in Developmental Neuroscience, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Rudolf Rübsamen
- Institute of Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ivan Milenkovic
- Institute of Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Carl Ludwig Institute for Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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Marcotti W, Corns LF, Goodyear RJ, Rzadzinska AK, Avraham KB, Steel KP, Richardson GP, Kros CJ. The acquisition of mechano-electrical transducer current adaptation in auditory hair cells requires myosin VI. J Physiol 2016; 594:3667-81. [PMID: 27111754 PMCID: PMC4929313 DOI: 10.1113/jp272220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 04/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS The transduction of sound into electrical signals occurs at the hair bundles atop sensory hair cells in the cochlea, by means of mechanosensitive ion channels, the mechano-electrical transducer (MET) channels. The MET currents decline during steady stimuli; this is termed adaptation and ensures they always work within the most sensitive part of their operating range, responding best to rapidly changing (sound) stimuli. In this study we used a mouse model (Snell's waltzer) for hereditary deafness in humans that has a mutation in the gene encoding an unconventional myosin, myosin VI, which is present in the hair bundles. We found that in the absence of myosin VI the MET current fails to acquire its characteristic adaptation as the hair bundles develop. We propose that myosin VI supports the acquisition of adaptation by removing key molecules from the hair bundle that serve a temporary, developmental role. ABSTRACT Mutations in Myo6, the gene encoding the (F-actin) minus end-directed unconventional myosin, myosin VI, cause hereditary deafness in mice (Snell's waltzer) and humans. In the sensory hair cells of the cochlea, myosin VI is expressed in the cell bodies and along the stereocilia that project from the cells' apical surface. It is required for maintaining the structural integrity of the mechanosensitive hair bundles formed by the stereocilia. In this study we investigate whether myosin VI contributes to mechano-electrical transduction. We report that Ca(2+) -dependent adaptation of the mechano-electrical transducer (MET) current, which serves to keep the transduction apparatus operating within its most sensitive range, is absent in outer and inner hair cells from homozygous Snell's waltzer mutant mice, which fail to express myosin VI. The operating range of the MET channels is also abnormal in the mutants, resulting in the absence of a resting MET current. We found that cadherin 23, a component of the hair bundle's transient lateral links, fails to be downregulated along the length of the stereocilia in maturing Myo6 mutant mice. MET currents of heterozygous littermates appear normal. We propose that myosin VI, by removing key molecules from developing hair bundles, is required for the development of the MET apparatus and its Ca(2+) -dependent adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter Marcotti
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK.,Department of Biomedical Science, Addison Building, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Laura F Corns
- Department of Biomedical Science, Addison Building, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Richard J Goodyear
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
| | | | - Karen B Avraham
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Karen P Steel
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK.,Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Guy P Richardson
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Corné J Kros
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands
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Tmc1 Point Mutation Affects Ca2+ Sensitivity and Block by Dihydrostreptomycin of the Mechanoelectrical Transducer Current of Mouse Outer Hair Cells. J Neurosci 2016; 36:336-49. [PMID: 26758827 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2439-15.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The transduction of sound into electrical signals depends on mechanically sensitive ion channels in the stereociliary bundle. The molecular composition of this mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channel is not yet known. Transmembrane channel-like protein isoforms 1 (TMC1) and 2 (TMC2) have been proposed to form part of the MET channel, although their exact roles are still unclear. Using Beethoven (Tmc1(Bth/Bth)) mice, which have an M412K point mutation in TMC1 that adds a positive charge, we found that Ca(2+) permeability and conductance of the MET channel of outer hair cells (OHCs) were reduced. Tmc1(Bth/Bth) OHCs were also less sensitive to block by the permeant MET channel blocker dihydrostreptomycin, whether applied extracellularly or intracellularly. These findings suggest that the amino acid that is mutated in Bth is situated at or near the negatively charged binding site for dihydrostreptomycin within the permeation pore of the channel. We also found that the Ca(2+) dependence of the operating range of the MET channel was altered by the M412K mutation. Depolarization did not increase the resting open probability of the MET current of Tmc1(Bth/Bth) OHCs, whereas raising the intracellular concentration of the Ca(2+) chelator BAPTA caused smaller increases in resting open probability in Bth mutant OHCs than in wild-type control cells. We propose that these observations can be explained by the reduced Ca(2+) permeability of the mutated MET channel indirectly causing the Ca(2+) sensor for adaptation, at or near the intracellular face of the MET channel, to become more sensitive to Ca(2+) influx as a compensatory mechanism. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In the auditory system, the hair cells convert sound-induced mechanical movement of the hair bundles atop these cells into electrical signals through the opening of mechanically gated ion channels at the tips of the bundles. Although the nature of these mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channels is still unclear, recent studies implicate transmembrane channel-like protein isoform 1 (TMC1) channels in the mammalian cochlea. Using a mutant mouse model (Beethoven) for progressive hearing loss in humans (DFNA36), which harbors a point mutation in the Tmc1 gene, we show that this mutation affects the MET channel pore, reducing its Ca(2+) permeability and its affinity for the permeant blocker dihydrostreptomycin. A number of phenomena that we ascribe to Ca(2+)-dependent adaptation appear stronger, in compensation for the reduced Ca(2+) entry.
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Absence of Neuroplastin-65 Affects Synaptogenesis in Mouse Inner Hair Cells and Causes Profound Hearing Loss. J Neurosci 2016; 36:222-34. [PMID: 26740663 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1808-15.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The Neuroplastin gene encodes two synapse-enriched protein isoforms, Np55 and Np65, which are transmembrane glycoproteins that regulate several cellular processes, including the genesis, maintenance, and plasticity of synapses. We found that an absence of Np65 causes early-onset sensorineural hearing loss and prevented the normal synaptogenesis in inner hair cells (IHCs) in the newly identified mouse mutant pitch. In wild-type mice, Np65 is strongly upregulated in the cochlea from around postnatal day 12 (P12), which corresponds to the onset of hearing. Np65 was specifically localized at the presynaptic region of IHCs. We found that the colocalization of presynaptic IHC ribbons and postsynaptic afferent terminals is greatly reduced in pitch mutants. Moreover, IHC exocytosis is also reduced with mutant mice showing lower rates of vesicle release. Np65 appears to have a nonessential role in vision. We propose that Np65, by regulating IHC synaptogenesis, is critical for auditory function in mammals. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In the mammalian cochlea, the sensory inner hair cells (IHCs) encode auditory information. They do this by converting sound wave-induced mechanical motion of their hair bundles into an electrical current. This current generates a receptor potential that controls release of glutamate neurotransmitter from their ribbon synapses onto the auditory afferent fiber. We show that the synapse-enriched protein Np65, encoded by the Neuroplastin gene, is localized at the IHC presynaptic region. In mutant mice, absence of Np65 causes early-onset sensorineural hearing loss and prevents normal neurotransmitter release in IHCs and colocalization of presynaptic ribbons with postsynaptic afferents. We identified Neuroplastin as a novel deafness gene required for ribbon synapse formation and function, which is critical for sound perception in mammals.
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Tavazzani E, Spaiardi P, Zampini V, Contini D, Manca M, Russo G, Prigioni I, Marcotti W, Masetto S. Distinct roles of Eps8 in the maturation of cochlear and vestibular hair cells. Neuroscience 2016; 328:80-91. [PMID: 27132230 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.04.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2016] [Revised: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 04/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Several genetic mutations affecting the development and function of mammalian hair cells have been shown to cause deafness but not vestibular defects, most likely because vestibular deficits are sometimes centrally compensated. The study of hair cell physiology is thus a powerful direct approach to ascertain the functional status of the vestibular end organs. Deletion of Epidermal growth factor receptor pathway substrate 8 (Eps8), a gene involved in actin remodeling, has been shown to cause deafness in mice. While both inner and outer hair cells from Eps8 knockout (KO) mice showed abnormally short stereocilia, inner hair cells (IHCs) also failed to acquire mature-type ion channels. Despite the fact that Eps8 is also expressed in vestibular hair cells, Eps8 KO mice show no vestibular deficits. In the present study we have investigated the properties of vestibular Type I and Type II hair cells in Eps8-KO mice and compared them to those of cochlear IHCs. In the absence of Eps8, vestibular hair cells show normally long kinocilia, significantly shorter stereocilia and a normal pattern of basolateral voltage-dependent ion channels. We have also found that while vestibular hair cells from Eps8 KO mice show normal voltage responses to injected sinusoidal currents, which were used to mimic the mechanoelectrical transducer current, IHCs lose their ability to synchronize their responses to the stimulus. We conclude that the absence of Eps8 produces a weaker phenotype in vestibular hair cells compared to cochlear IHCs, since it affects the hair bundle morphology but not the basolateral membrane currents. This difference is likely to explain the absence of obvious vestibular dysfunction in Eps8 KO mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Tavazzani
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Forlanini 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Paolo Spaiardi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Forlanini 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Valeria Zampini
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Forlanini 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Donatella Contini
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Forlanini 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Marco Manca
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Forlanini 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Russo
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Forlanini 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Ivo Prigioni
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Forlanini 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Walter Marcotti
- Department of Biomedical Science, Sensory Neuroscience Group, Alfred Denny Building (B1 221), University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
| | - Sergio Masetto
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Forlanini 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
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Olt J, Ordoobadi AJ, Marcotti W, Trapani JG. Physiological recordings from the zebrafish lateral line. Methods Cell Biol 2016; 133:253-79. [PMID: 27263416 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2016.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
During sensory transduction, external physical stimuli are translated into an internal biological signal. In vertebrates, hair cells are specialized mechanosensory receptors that transduce sound, gravitational forces, and head movements into electrical signals that are transmitted with remarkable precision and efficiency to afferent neurons. Hair cells have a conserved structure between species and are also found in the lateral line system of fish, including zebrafish, which serve as an ideal animal model to study sensory transmission in vivo. In this chapter, we describe the methods required to investigate the biophysical properties underlying mechanosensation in the lateral line of the zebrafish in vivo from microphonic potentials and single hair cell patch-clamp recordings to single afferent neuron recordings. These techniques provide real-time measurements of hair-cell transduction and transmission following delivery of controlled and defined stimuli and their combined use on the intact zebrafish provides a powerful platform to investigate sensory encoding in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Olt
- University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | | | - W Marcotti
- University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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Cochlear afferent innervation development. Hear Res 2015; 330:157-69. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2015.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2015] [Revised: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 07/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Sundaresan S, Kong JH, Fang Q, Salles FT, Wangsawihardja F, Ricci AJ, Mustapha M. Thyroid hormone is required for pruning, functioning and long-term maintenance of afferent inner hair cell synapses. Eur J Neurosci 2015; 43:148-61. [PMID: 26386265 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2015] [Revised: 09/09/2015] [Accepted: 09/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Functional maturation of afferent synaptic connections to inner hair cells (IHCs) involves pruning of excess synapses formed during development, as well as the strengthening and survival of the retained synapses. These events take place during the thyroid hormone (TH)-critical period of cochlear development, which is in the perinatal period for mice and in the third trimester for humans. Here, we used the hypothyroid Snell dwarf mouse (Pit1(dw)) as a model to study the role of TH in afferent type I synaptic refinement and functional maturation. We observed defects in afferent synaptic pruning and delays in calcium channel clustering in the IHCs of Pit1(dw) mice. Nevertheless, calcium currents and capacitance reached near normal levels in Pit1(dw) IHCs by the age of onset of hearing, despite the excess number of retained synapses. We restored normal synaptic pruning in Pit1(dw) IHCs by supplementing with TH from postnatal day (P)3 to P8, establishing this window as being critical for TH action on this process. Afferent terminals of older Pit1(dw) IHCs showed evidence of excitotoxic damage accompanied by a concomitant reduction in the levels of the glial glutamate transporter, GLAST. Our results indicate that a lack of TH during a critical period of inner ear development causes defects in pruning and long-term homeostatic maintenance of afferent synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srividya Sundaresan
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Drive, Room R111A, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
| | - Jee-Hyun Kong
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Drive, Room R111A, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
| | - Qing Fang
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Felipe T Salles
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Drive, Room R111A, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
| | - Felix Wangsawihardja
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Drive, Room R111A, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
| | - Anthony J Ricci
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Drive, Room R111A, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
| | - Mirna Mustapha
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Drive, Room R111A, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
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Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Protein Deletion in Efferent Olivocochlear Neurons Perturbs Afferent Synaptic Maturation and Reduces the Dynamic Range of Hearing. J Neurosci 2015; 35:9236-45. [PMID: 26085645 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4384-14.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Normal hearing requires proper differentiation of afferent ribbon synapses between inner hair cells (IHCs) and spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) that carry acoustic information to the brain. Within individual IHCs, presynaptic ribbons show a size gradient with larger ribbons on the modiolar face and smaller ribbons on the pillar face. This structural gradient is associated with a gradient of spontaneous rates and threshold sensitivity, which is essential for a wide dynamic range of hearing. Despite their importance for hearing, mechanisms that direct ribbon differentiation are poorly defined. We recently identified adenomatous polyposis coli protein (APC) as a key regulator of interneuronal synapse maturation. Here, we show that APC is required for ribbon size heterogeneity and normal cochlear function. Compared with wild-type littermates, APC conditional knock-out (cKO) mice exhibit decreased auditory brainstem responses. The IHC ribbon size gradient is also perturbed. Whereas the normal-developing IHCs display ribbon size gradients before hearing onset, ribbon sizes are aberrant in APC cKOs from neonatal ages on. Reporter expression studies show that the CaMKII-Cre used to delete the floxed APC gene is present in efferent olivocochlear (OC) neurons, not IHCs or SGNs. APC loss led to increased volumes and numbers of OC inhibitory dopaminergic boutons on neonatal SGN fibers. Our findings identify APC in efferent OC neurons as essential for regulating ribbon heterogeneity, dopaminergic terminal differentiation, and cochlear sensitivity. This APC effect on auditory epithelial cell synapses resembles interneuronal and nerve-muscle synapses, thereby defining a global role for APC in synaptic maturation in diverse cell types. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This study identifies novel molecules and cellular interactions that are essential for the proper maturation of afferent ribbon synapses in sensory cells of the inner ear, and for normal hearing.
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Shi L, Guo X, Shen P, Liu L, Tao S, Li X, Song Q, Yu Z, Yin S, Wang J. Noise-induced damage to ribbon synapses without permanent threshold shifts in neonatal mice. Neuroscience 2015; 304:368-77. [PMID: 26232715 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.07.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2015] [Revised: 07/22/2015] [Accepted: 07/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Recently, ribbon synapses to the hair cells (HCs) in the cochlea have become a novel site of interest in the investigation of noise-induced cochlear lesions in adult rodents (Kujawa and Liberman, 2009; Lin et al., 2011; Liu et al., 2012; Shi et al., 2013). Permanent noise-induced damage to this type of synapse can result in subsequent degeneration of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) in the absence of permanent changes to hearing sensitivity. To verify whether noise exposure during an early developmental period produces a similar impact on ribbon synapses, the present study examined the damaging effects of noise exposure in neonatal Kunming mice. The animals received exposure to broadband noise at 105-decibel (dB) sound pressure level (SPL) for 2h on either postnatal day 10 (P10d) or postnatal day 14 (P14d), and then hearing function (based on the auditory brainstem response (ABR)) and cochlear morphology were evaluated during either postnatal weeks 3-4 (P4w) or postnatal weeks 7-8 (P8w). There were no significant differences in the hearing threshold between noise-exposed and control animals, which suggests that noise did not cause permanent loss of hearing sensitivity. However, noise exposure did produce a significant loss of ribbon synapses, particularly in P14d mice, which continued to increase from P4w to P8w. Additionally, a corresponding reduction in the amplitude of compound action potential (CAP) was observed in the noise-exposed groups at P4w and P8w, and the CAP latency was elongated, indicating a change in synaptic function.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Shi
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaoqiao Road, Nanjing 210009, China.
| | - X Guo
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaoqiao Road, Nanjing 210009, China; Children's Medical Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 262 Zhongshan Road North, Nanjing 210003, China.
| | - P Shen
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaoqiao Road, Nanjing 210009, China.
| | - L Liu
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaoqiao Road, Nanjing 210009, China.
| | - S Tao
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaoqiao Road, Nanjing 210009, China.
| | - X Li
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaoqiao Road, Nanjing 210009, China.
| | - Q Song
- Department of Otolaryngology, 6th Affiliated Hospital, Jiaotong University, 600 Yishan Road, Shanghai 200233, China.
| | - Z Yu
- School of Human Communication Disorders, Dalhousie University, 1256 Barrington Street, Halifax, NS B3J1Y6, Canada.
| | - S Yin
- Department of Otolaryngology, 6th Affiliated Hospital, Jiaotong University, 600 Yishan Road, Shanghai 200233, China.
| | - J Wang
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaoqiao Road, Nanjing 210009, China; School of Human Communication Disorders, Dalhousie University, 1256 Barrington Street, Halifax, NS B3J1Y6, Canada.
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Knipper M, Panford-Walsh R, Singer W, Rüttiger L, Zimmermann U. Specific synaptopathies diversify brain responses and hearing disorders: you lose the gain from early life. Cell Tissue Res 2015; 361:77-93. [PMID: 25843689 PMCID: PMC4487345 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-015-2168-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2015] [Accepted: 03/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Before hearing onset, inner hair cell (IHC) maturation proceeds under the influence of spontaneous Ca(2+) action potentials (APs). The temporal signature of the IHC Ca(2+) AP is modified through an efferent cholinergic feedback from the medial olivocochlear bundle (MOC) and drives the IHC pre- and post-synapse phenotype towards low spontaneous (spike) rate (SR), high-threshold characteristics. With sensory experience, the IHC pre- and post-synapse phenotype matures towards the instruction of low-SR, high-threshold and of high-SR, low-threshold auditory fiber characteristics. Corticosteroid feedback together with local brain-derived nerve growth factor (BDNF) and catecholaminergic neurotransmitters (dopamine) might be essential for this developmental step. In this review, we address the question of whether the control of low-SR and high-SR fiber characteristics is linked to various degrees of vulnerability of auditory fibers in the mature system. In particular, we examine several IHC synaptopathies in the context of various hearing disorders and exemplified shortfalls before and after hearing onset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlies Knipper
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Center (THRC), Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Straße 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Wibke Singer
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Center (THRC), Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Straße 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lukas Rüttiger
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Center (THRC), Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Straße 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ulrike Zimmermann
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Center (THRC), Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Straße 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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Wichmann C, Moser T. Relating structure and function of inner hair cell ribbon synapses. Cell Tissue Res 2015; 361:95-114. [PMID: 25874597 PMCID: PMC4487357 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-014-2102-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2014] [Accepted: 12/18/2014] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
In the mammalian cochlea, sound is encoded at synapses between inner hair cells (IHCs) and type I spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs). Each SGN receives input from a single IHC ribbon-type active zone (AZ) and yet SGNs indefatigably spike up to hundreds of Hz to encode acoustic stimuli with submillisecond precision. Accumulating evidence indicates a highly specialized molecular composition and structure of the presynapse, adapted to suit these high functional demands. However, we are only beginning to understand key features such as stimulus-secretion coupling, exocytosis mechanisms, exo-endocytosis coupling, modes of endocytosis and vesicle reformation, as well as replenishment of the readily releasable pool. Relating structure and function has become an important avenue in addressing these points and has been applied to normal and genetically manipulated hair cell synapses. Here, we review some of the exciting new insights gained from recent studies of the molecular anatomy and physiology of IHC ribbon synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Wichmann
- Molecular Architecture of Synapses Group, Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLab, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Collaborative Research Center 889, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - T. Moser
- Collaborative Research Center 889, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLab, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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