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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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Moser T, Karagulyan N, Neef J, Jaime Tobón LM. Diversity matters - extending sound intensity coding by inner hair cells via heterogeneous synapses. EMBO J 2023; 42:e114587. [PMID: 37800695 PMCID: PMC10690447 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2023114587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Our sense of hearing enables the processing of stimuli that differ in sound pressure by more than six orders of magnitude. How to process a wide range of stimulus intensities with temporal precision is an enigmatic phenomenon of the auditory system. Downstream of dynamic range compression by active cochlear micromechanics, the inner hair cells (IHCs) cover the full intensity range of sound input. Yet, the firing rate in each of their postsynaptic spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) encodes only a fraction of it. As a population, spiral ganglion neurons with their respective individual coding fractions cover the entire audible range. How such "dynamic range fractionation" arises is a topic of current research and the focus of this review. Here, we discuss mechanisms for generating the diverse functional properties of SGNs and formulate testable hypotheses. We postulate that an interplay of synaptic heterogeneity, molecularly distinct subtypes of SGNs, and efferent modulation serves the neural decomposition of sound information and thus contributes to a population code for sound intensity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Moser
- Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLabUniversity Medical Center GöttingenGöttingenGermany
- Auditory Neuroscience and Synaptic Nanophysiology GroupMax Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary SciencesGöttingenGermany
- Cluster of Excellence “Multiscale Bioimaging of Excitable Cells”GöttingenGermany
| | - Nare Karagulyan
- Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLabUniversity Medical Center GöttingenGöttingenGermany
- Auditory Neuroscience and Synaptic Nanophysiology GroupMax Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary SciencesGöttingenGermany
- Hertha Sponer CollegeCluster of Excellence “Multiscale Bioimaging of Excitable Cells” Cluster of ExcellenceGöttingenGermany
| | - Jakob Neef
- Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLabUniversity Medical Center GöttingenGöttingenGermany
- Auditory Neuroscience and Synaptic Nanophysiology GroupMax Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary SciencesGöttingenGermany
| | - Lina María Jaime Tobón
- Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLabUniversity Medical Center GöttingenGöttingenGermany
- Auditory Neuroscience and Synaptic Nanophysiology GroupMax Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary SciencesGöttingenGermany
- Hertha Sponer CollegeCluster of Excellence “Multiscale Bioimaging of Excitable Cells” Cluster of ExcellenceGöttingenGermany
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Siebald C, Vincent PFY, Bottom RT, Sun S, Reijntjes DOJ, Manca M, Glowatzki E, Müller U. Molecular signatures define subtypes of auditory afferents with distinct peripheral projection patterns and physiological properties. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2217033120. [PMID: 37487063 PMCID: PMC10400978 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2217033120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Type I spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) are the auditory afferents that transmit sound information from cochlear inner hair cells (IHCs) to the brainstem. These afferents consist of physiological subtypes that differ in their spontaneous firing rate (SR), activation threshold, and dynamic range and have been described as low, medium, and high SR fibers. Lately, single-cell RNA sequencing experiments have revealed three molecularly defined type I SGN subtypes. The extent to which physiological type I SGN subtypes correspond to molecularly defined subtypes is unclear. To address this question, we have generated mouse lines expressing CreERT2 in SGN subtypes that allow for a physiological assessment of molecular subtypes. We show that Lypd1-CreERT2 expressing SGNs represent a well-defined group of neurons that preferentially innervate the IHC modiolar side and exhibit a narrow range of low SRs. In contrast, Calb2-CreERT2 expressing SGNs preferentially innervate the IHC pillar side and exhibit a wider range of SRs, thus suggesting that a strict stratification of all SGNs into three molecular subclasses is not obvious, at least not with the CreERT2 tools used here. Genetically marked neuronal subtypes refine their innervation specificity onto IHCs postnatally during the time when activity is required to refine their molecular phenotype. Type I SGNs thus consist of genetically defined subtypes with distinct physiological properties and innervation patterns. The molecular subtype-specific lines characterized here will provide important tools for investigating the role of the physiologically distinct type I SGNs in encoding sound signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Siebald
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
| | - Philippe F. Y. Vincent
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
| | - Riley T. Bottom
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
| | - Shuohao Sun
- National Institute of Biological Science, Beijing102206, China
- Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing100084, China
| | - Daniel O. J. Reijntjes
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
| | - Marco Manca
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
| | - Elisabeth Glowatzki
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
| | - Ulrich Müller
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
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Hong G, Fu X, Chen X, Zhang L, Han X, Ding S, Liu Z, Bi X, Li W, Chang M, Qiao R, Guo S, Tu H, Chai R. Dyslexia-Related Hearing Loss Occurs Mainly through the Abnormal Spontaneous Electrical Activity of Spiral Ganglion Neurons. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2205754. [PMID: 37068190 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202205754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Dyslexia is a reading and spelling disorder due to neurodevelopmental abnormalities and is occasionally found to be accompanied by hearing loss, but the reason for the associated deafness remains unclear. This study finds that knockout of the dyslexia susceptibility 1 candidate 1 gene (Dyx1c1-/- ) in mice, the best gene for studying dyslexia, causes severe hearing loss, and thus it is a good model for studying the mechanism of dyslexia-related hearing loss (DRHL). This work finds that the Dyx1c1 gene is highly expressed in the mouse cochlea and that the spontaneous electrical activity of inner hair cells and type I spiral ganglion neurons is altered in the cochleae of Dyx1c1-/- mice. In addition, primary ciliary dyskinesia-related phenotypes such as situs inversus and disrupted ciliary structure are seen in Dyx1c1-/- mice. In conclusion, this study gives new insights into the mechanism of DRHL in detail and suggests that Dyx1c1 may serve as a potential target for the clinical diagnosis of DRHL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guodong Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Zhongda Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Advanced Institute for Life and Health, Jiangsu Province High-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Southeast University, 210096, Nanjing, China
- Medical Science and Technology Innovation Center, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, 250000, Jinan, China
| | - Xiaolong Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Zhongda Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Advanced Institute for Life and Health, Jiangsu Province High-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Southeast University, 210096, Nanjing, China
- Medical Science and Technology Innovation Center, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, 250000, Jinan, China
| | - Xin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Zhongda Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Advanced Institute for Life and Health, Jiangsu Province High-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Southeast University, 210096, Nanjing, China
| | - Liyan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Zhongda Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Advanced Institute for Life and Health, Jiangsu Province High-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Southeast University, 210096, Nanjing, China
| | - Xuan Han
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Zhongda Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Advanced Institute for Life and Health, Jiangsu Province High-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Southeast University, 210096, Nanjing, China
| | - Shuqin Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Zhongda Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Advanced Institute for Life and Health, Jiangsu Province High-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Southeast University, 210096, Nanjing, China
| | - Ziyi Liu
- Medical Science and Technology Innovation Center, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, 250000, Jinan, China
| | - Xiuli Bi
- Medical Science and Technology Innovation Center, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, 250000, Jinan, China
| | - Wen Li
- Medical Science and Technology Innovation Center, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, 250000, Jinan, China
| | - Miao Chang
- Medical Science and Technology Innovation Center, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, 250000, Jinan, China
| | - Ruifeng Qiao
- Medical Science and Technology Innovation Center, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, 250000, Jinan, China
| | - Siwei Guo
- School of Life Science, Shandong University, 266237, Qingdao, China
| | - Hailong Tu
- Medical Science and Technology Innovation Center, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, 250000, Jinan, China
| | - Renjie Chai
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Zhongda Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Advanced Institute for Life and Health, Jiangsu Province High-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Southeast University, 210096, Nanjing, China
- Co-Innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, 226001, Nantong, China
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, 610072, Chengdu, China
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Science, 100101, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Neural Regeneration and Repair, Capital Medical University, 100069, Beijing, China
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Nuclear Translocation Triggered at the Onset of Hearing in Cochlear Inner Hair Cells of Rats and Mice. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2023:10.1007/s10162-023-00894-2. [PMID: 36932316 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-023-00894-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Nuclear position is precisely orchestrated during cell division, migration, and maturation of cells and tissues. Here we report a previously unrecognized, programmed movement of the nucleus in rat and mouse cochlear inner hair cells (IHCs) coinciding with the functional maturation of inner hair cells around the onset of hearing. METHODS We measured hair cell length and nuclear position from confocal scans of immunofluorescence-labeled hair cells from whole-mount cochlear preparations throughout post-natal development. RESULTS In early post-natal days, the IHC experiences a period of sustained growth, during which the nucleus sits at the very basal pole of the cell, far from the apically located mechano-transducing stereocilia, but close to where synapses with primary afferent and efferent neurons are forming. After IHCs reach their final length, the nucleus moves to occupy a new position half-way along the length of the cell. Nuclear translocation begins in the middle turn, completes throughout the cochlea within 2-3 days, and coincides with the emergence of endolymphatic potential, the acquisition of big-conductance potassium channels (BK), and the onset of acoustic hearing. IHCs cultured in-vitro without endolymphatic potential (EP) do not grow, do not express BK, and do not experience nuclear movement. IHCs cultured in high K+ solutions (to simulate EP) grow but do not experience nuclear movement or acquire BK channels. CONCLUSION Nuclear migration at the onset of hearing is a key step in the morphological maturation of IHCs. Whether this plays a role in functional maturation remains to be explored.
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Mittring A, Moser T, Huet AT. Graded optogenetic activation of the auditory pathway for hearing restoration. Brain Stimul 2023; 16:466-483. [PMID: 36702442 PMCID: PMC10159867 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2023.01.1671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Optogenetic control of neural activity enables innovative approaches to improve functional restoration of diseased sensory and motor systems. For clinical translation to succeed, optogenetic stimulation needs to closely match the coding properties of the targeted neuronal population and employ optimally operating emitters. This requires the customization of channelrhodopsins, emitters and coding strategies. Here, we provide a framework to parametrize optogenetic neural control and apply it to the auditory pathway that requires high temporal fidelity of stimulation. We used a viral gene transfer of ultrafast targeting-optimized Chronos into spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) of the cochlea of mice. We characterized the light-evoked response by in vivo recordings from individual SGNs and neurons of the anteroventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN) that detect coincident SGN inputs. Our recordings from single SGNs demonstrated that their spike probability can be graded by adjusting the duration of light pulses at constant intensity, which optimally serves efficient laser diode operation. We identified an effective pulse width of 1.6 ms to maximize encoding in SGNs at the maximal light intensity employed here (∼35 mW). Alternatively, SGNs were activated at lower energy thresholds using short light pulses (<1 ms). An upper boundary of optical stimulation rates was identified at 316 Hz, inducing a robust spike rate adaptation that required a few tens of milliseconds to recover. We developed a semi-stochastic stimulation paradigm to rapidly (within minutes) estimate the input/output function from light to SGN firing and approximate the time constant of neuronal integration in the AVCN. By that, our data pave the way to design the sound coding strategies of future optical cochlear implants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artur Mittring
- Auditory Circuit Lab, Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLab, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLab, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Cluster of Excellence "Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells" (MBExC), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Tobias Moser
- Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLab, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Cluster of Excellence "Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells" (MBExC), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Auditory Neuroscience and Optogenetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany; Auditory Neuroscience and Synaptic Nanophysiology Group, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Antoine Tarquin Huet
- Auditory Circuit Lab, Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLab, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLab, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Cluster of Excellence "Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells" (MBExC), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Auditory Neuroscience and Optogenetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany.
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7
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Grierson KE, Hickman TT, Liberman MC. Dopaminergic and cholinergic innervation in the mouse cochlea after noise-induced or age-related synaptopathy. Hear Res 2022; 422:108533. [PMID: 35671600 PMCID: PMC11195664 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2022.108533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Cochlear synaptopathy, the loss of or damage to connections between auditory-nerve fibers (ANFs) and inner hair cells (IHCs), is a prominent pathology in noise-induced and age-related hearing loss. Here, we investigated if degeneration of the olivocochlear (OC) efferent innervation is also a major aspect of the synaptopathic ear, by quantifying the volume and spatial organization of its cholinergic and dopaminergic components, using antibodies to vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAT) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), respectively. CBA/CaJ male mice were examined 1 day to 8 months after a synaptopathic noise exposure, and compared to unexposed age-matched controls and unexposed aged mice at 24-28 months. In normal ears, cholinergic lateral (L)OC terminals were denser in the apical half of the cochlea and on the modiolar side of the inner hair cells (IHCs), where ANFs of low-spontaneous rate are typically found, while dopaminergic terminals were more common in the basal third of the cochlea and, re the IHC axes, were offset towards the habenula with respect to cholinergic terminals. The noise had only small and transient effects on the density of LOC innervation, its spatial organization around the IHC axes, or the extent to which TH and VAT signal were colocalized. The synaptopathic noise also had relatively small and transient effects on cholinergic innervation density in the outer hair cell (OHC) area, which normally peaks in the 16 kHz region and falls monotonically towards higher and lower frequencies. In contrast, in the aged ears, there was massive degeneration of OHC efferents, especially in the apical half of the cochlea, where there was also significant loss of OHCs. In the IHC area, there was significant loss of cholinergic terminals in both apical and basal regions and of dopaminergic innervation in the basal half. Furthermore, the cholinergic terminals in the aged ears spread from their normal clustering near the IHC basolateral pole, where the ANF synapses are found, to positions up and down the IHC somata and regions of the neuropil closer to the habenula. This apparent migration was most striking in the apex, where the hair cell pathology was greatest, and may be a harbinger of impending hair cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiera E Grierson
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, 02114 USA; Dept of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115 USA; Hearing Research Lab, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, AUS
| | - Tyler T Hickman
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, 02114 USA; Dept of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115 USA.
| | - M Charles Liberman
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, 02114 USA; Dept of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115 USA
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8
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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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9
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Crozier RA, Wismer ZQ, Parra-Munevar J, Plummer MR, Davis RL. Amplification of input differences by dynamic heterogeneity in the spiral ganglion. J Neurophysiol 2022; 127:1317-1333. [PMID: 35389760 PMCID: PMC9054264 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00544.2021] [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: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A defining feature of type I primary auditory afferents that compose ∼95% of the spiral ganglion is their intrinsic electrophysiological heterogeneity. This diversity is evident both between and within unitary, rapid, and slow adaptation (UA, RA, and SA) classes indicative of specializations designed to shape sensory receptor input. But to what end? Our initial impulse is to expect the opposite: that auditory afferents fire uniformly to represent acoustic stimuli with accuracy and high fidelity. Yet this is clearly not the case. One explanation for this neural signaling strategy is to coordinate a system in which differences between input stimuli are amplified. If this is correct, then stimulus disparity enhancements within the primary afferents should be transmitted seamlessly into auditory processing pathways that utilize population coding for difference detection. Using sound localization as an example, one would expect to observe separately regulated differences in intensity level compared with timing or spectral cues within a graded tonotopic distribution. This possibility was evaluated by examining the neuromodulatory effects of cAMP on immature neurons with high excitability and slow membrane kinetics. We found that electrophysiological correlates of intensity and timing were indeed independently regulated and tonotopically distributed, depending on intracellular cAMP signaling level. These observations, therefore, are indicative of a system in which differences between signaling elements of individual stimulus attributes are systematically amplified according to auditory processing constraints. Thus, dynamic heterogeneity mediated by cAMP in the spiral ganglion has the potential to enhance the representations of stimulus input disparities transmitted into higher level difference detection circuitry.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Can changes in intracellular second messenger signaling within primary auditory afferents shift our perception of sound? Results presented herein lead to this conclusion. We found that intracellular cAMP signaling level systematically altered the kinetics and excitability of primary auditory afferents, exemplifying how dynamic heterogeneity can enhance differences between electrophysiological correlates of timing and intensity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zachary Q Wismer
- AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Department of Family Medicine, Atlantic City, New Jersey
| | - Jeffrey Parra-Munevar
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey
| | - Mark R Plummer
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey
| | - Robin L Davis
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey
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10
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Signatures of cochlear processing in neuronal coding of auditory information. Mol Cell Neurosci 2022; 120:103732. [PMID: 35489636 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2022.103732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate ear is endowed with remarkable perceptual capabilities. The faintest sounds produce vibrations of magnitudes comparable to those generated by thermal noise and can nonetheless be detected through efficient amplification of small acoustic stimuli. Two mechanisms have been proposed to underlie such sound amplification in the mammalian cochlea: somatic electromotility and active hair-bundle motility. These biomechanical mechanisms may work in concert to tune auditory sensitivity. In addition to amplitude sensitivity, the hearing system shows exceptional frequency discrimination allowing mammals to distinguish complex sounds with great accuracy. For instance, although the wide hearing range of humans encompasses frequencies from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, our frequency resolution extends to one-thirtieth of the interval between successive keys on a piano. In this article, we review the different cochlear mechanisms underlying sound encoding in the auditory system, with a particular focus on the frequency decomposition of sounds. The relation between peak frequency of activation and location along the cochlea - known as tonotopy - arises from multiple gradients in biophysical properties of the sensory epithelium. Tonotopic mapping represents a major organizational principle both in the peripheral hearing system and in higher processing levels and permits the spectral decomposition of complex tones. The ribbon synapses connecting sensory hair cells to auditory afferents and the downstream spiral ganglion neurons are also tuned to process periodic stimuli according to their preferred frequency. Though sensory hair cells and neurons necessarily filter signals beyond a few kHz, many animals can hear well beyond this range. We finally describe how the cochlear structure shapes the neural code for further processing in order to send meaningful information to the brain. Both the phase-locked response of auditory nerve fibers and tonotopy are key to decode sound frequency information and place specific constraints on the downstream neuronal network.
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11
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Liu J, Wang S, Lu Y, Wang H, Wang F, Qiu M, Xie Q, Han H, Hua Y. Aligned Organization of Synapses and Mitochondria in Auditory Hair Cells. Neurosci Bull 2021; 38:235-248. [PMID: 34837647 PMCID: PMC8975952 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-021-00801-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have revealed great functional and structural heterogeneity in the ribbon-type synapses at the basolateral pole of the isopotential inner hair cell (IHC). This feature is believed to be critical for audition over a wide dynamic range, but whether the spatial gradient of ribbon morphology is fine-tuned in each IHC and how the mitochondrial network is organized to meet local energy demands of synaptic transmission remain unclear. By means of three-dimensional electron microscopy and artificial intelligence-based algorithms, we demonstrated the cell-wide structural quantification of ribbons and mitochondria in mature mid-cochlear IHCs of mice. We found that adjacent IHCs in staggered pairs differ substantially in cell body shape and ribbon morphology gradient as well as mitochondrial organization. Moreover, our analysis argues for a location-specific arrangement of correlated ribbon and mitochondrial function at the basolateral IHC pole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Liu
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 China ,grid.410726.60000 0004 1797 8419School of Artificial Intelligence, School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408 China ,grid.507732.4CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, 200031 China
| | - Shengxiong Wang
- grid.24516.340000000123704535Putuo People’s Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200060 China ,grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125 China
| | - Yan Lu
- grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125 China ,grid.412523.3Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, 200125 China ,grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Ear Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125 China ,grid.412987.10000 0004 0630 1330Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine on Ear and Nose Diseases, Shanghai, 200125 China
| | - Haoyu Wang
- grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125 China ,grid.412523.3Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, 200125 China ,grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Ear Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125 China ,grid.412987.10000 0004 0630 1330Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine on Ear and Nose Diseases, Shanghai, 200125 China
| | - Fangfang Wang
- grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125 China
| | - Miaoxin Qiu
- grid.24516.340000000123704535Putuo People’s Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200060 China
| | - Qiwei Xie
- grid.28703.3e0000 0000 9040 3743Research Base of Beijing Modern Manufacturing Development, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124 China
| | - Hua Han
- National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China. .,School of Artificial Intelligence, School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408, China. .,CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, 200031, China.
| | - Yunfeng Hua
- Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China. .,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200125, China. .,Ear Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China. .,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine on Ear and Nose Diseases, Shanghai, 200125, China.
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12
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Kalluri R. Similarities in the Biophysical Properties of Spiral-Ganglion and Vestibular-Ganglion Neurons in Neonatal Rats. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:710275. [PMID: 34712112 PMCID: PMC8546178 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.710275] [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: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The membranes of auditory and vestibular afferent neurons each contain diverse groups of ion channels that lead to heterogeneity in their intrinsic biophysical properties. Pioneering work in both auditory- and vestibular-ganglion physiology have individually examined this remarkable diversity, but there are few direct comparisons between the two ganglia. Here the firing patterns recorded by whole-cell patch-clamping in neonatal vestibular- and spiral ganglion neurons are compared. Indicative of an overall heterogeneity in ion channel composition, both ganglia exhibit qualitatively similar firing patterns ranging from sustained-spiking to transient-spiking in response to current injection. The range of resting potentials, voltage thresholds, current thresholds, input-resistances, and first-spike latencies are similarly broad in both ganglion groups. The covariance between several biophysical properties (e.g., resting potential to voltage threshold and their dependence on postnatal age) was similar between the two ganglia. Cell sizes were on average larger and more variable in VGN than in SGN. One sub-group of VGN stood out as having extra-large somata with transient-firing patterns, very low-input resistance, fast first-spike latencies, and required large current amplitudes to induce spiking. Despite these differences, the input resistance per unit area of the large-bodied transient neurons was like that of smaller-bodied transient-firing neurons in both VGN and SGN, thus appearing to be size-scaled versions of other transient-firing neurons. Our analysis reveals that although auditory and vestibular afferents serve very different functions in distinct sensory modalities, their biophysical properties are more closely related by firing pattern and cell size than by sensory modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radha Kalluri
- Caruso Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Zilkha Neurogenetics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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13
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW We review recent progress in the characterization of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs), the afferent neurons that transmit sound information from mechanosensory hair cells in the inner ear to the central nervous system. RECENT FINDINGS Single-cell ribonucleic acid sequencing studies of murine SGNs have demonstrated that SGNs consist of molecularly distinct subtypes. The molecularly defined SGN subtypes likely correspond to SGN subtypes previously identified on the basis of physiological properties, although this has not been experimentally demonstrated. Subtype maturation is completed postnatally in an activity-dependent manner and is impaired in several models of hearing loss. SUMMARY The recent molecular studies open new avenues to rigorously test whether SGN subtypes are important for the encoding of different sound features and if they show differential vulnerability to genetic factors and environmental insults. This could have important implications for the development of therapeutic strategies to treat hearing loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuohao Sun
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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14
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Liu W, Liu Q, Crozier RA, Davis RL. Analog Transmission of Action Potential Fine Structure in Spiral Ganglion Axons. J Neurophysiol 2021; 126:888-905. [PMID: 34346782 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00237.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Action potential waveforms generated at the axon initial segment (AIS) are specialized between and within neuronal classes. But is the fine structure of each electrical event retained when transmitted along myelinated axons or is it rapidly and uniformly transmitted to be modified again at the axon terminal? To address this issue action potential axonal transmission was evaluated in a class of primary sensory afferents that possess numerous types of voltage-gated ion channels underlying a complex repertoire of endogenous firing patterns. In addition to their signature intrinsic electrophysiological heterogeneity, spiral ganglion neurons are uniquely designed. The bipolar, myelinated somata of type I neurons are located within the conduction pathway, requiring that action potentials generated at the first heminode must be conducted through their electrically excitable membrane. We utilized this unusual axonal-like morphology to serve as a window into action potential transmission to compare locally-evoked action potential profiles to those generated peripherally at their glutamatergic synaptic connections with hair cell receptors. These comparisons showed that the distinctively-shaped somatic action potentials were highly correlated with the nodally-generated, invading ones for each neuron. This result indicates that the fine structure of the action potential waveform is maintained axonally, thus supporting the concept that analog signaling is incorporated into each digitally-transmitted action potential in the specialized primary auditory afferents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenke Liu
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States.,Institute for System Genetics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Qing Liu
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States.,Inscopix, Inc., Palo Alto, California, United States
| | - Robert A Crozier
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States.,Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc., New York, NY, United States
| | - Robin L Davis
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
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15
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Niwa M, Young ED, Glowatzki E, Ricci AJ. Functional subgroups of cochlear inner hair cell ribbon synapses differently modulate their EPSC properties in response to stimulation. J Neurophysiol 2021; 125:2461-2479. [PMID: 33949873 PMCID: PMC8285665 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00452.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) form single synapses on inner hair cells (IHCs), transforming sound-induced IHC receptor potentials into trains of action potentials. SGN neurons are classified by spontaneous firing rates as well as their threshold response to sound intensity levels. We investigated the hypothesis that synaptic specializations underlie mouse SGN response properties and vary with pillar versus modiloar synapse location around the hair cell. Depolarizing hair cells with 40 mM K+ increased the rate of postsynaptic responses. Pillar synapses matured later than modiolar synapses. Excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) amplitude, area, and number of underlying events per EPSC were similar between synapse locations at steady state. However, modiolar synapses produced larger monophasic EPSCs when EPSC rates were low and EPSCs became more multiphasic and smaller in amplitude when rates were higher, while pillar synapses produced more monophasic and larger EPSCs when the release rates were higher. We propose that pillar and modiolar synapses have different operating points. Our data provide insight into underlying mechanisms regulating EPSC generation. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Data presented here provide the first direct functional evidence of late synaptic maturation of the hair cell- spiral ganglion neuron synapse, where pillar synapses mature after postnatal day 20. Data identify a presynaptic difference in release during stimulation. This difference may in part drive afferent firing properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mamiko Niwa
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.,Center for Hearing and Balance, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head, and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Eric D Young
- Center for Hearing and Balance, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.,Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Elisabeth Glowatzki
- Center for Hearing and Balance, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head, and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.,Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Anthony J Ricci
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
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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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