Bächinger D, Egli H, Goosmann MM, Monge Naldi A, Eckhard AH. Immunolocalization of calcium sensing and transport proteins in the murine endolymphatic sac indicates calciostatic functions within the inner ear.
Cell Tissue Res 2019;
378:163-73. [PMID:
31338584 DOI:
10.1007/s00441-019-03062-2]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
An exceptionally low calcium (Ca2+) concentration in the inner ear endolymph ([Ca2+]endolymph) is crucial for proper auditory and vestibular function. The endolymphatic sac (ES) is believed to critically contribute to the maintenance of this low [Ca2+]endolymph. Here, we investigated the immunohistochemical localization of proteins that are presumably involved in the sensing and transport of extracellular Ca2+ in the murine ES epithelium. Light microscopic and fluorescence immunolabeling in paraffin-embedded murine ES tissue sections (male C57BL/6 mice, 6–8 weeks old) demonstrated the presence of the calcium-sensing receptor CaSR, transient receptor potential cation channel subtypes TRPV5 and TRPV6, sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPases SERCA1 and SERCA2, Na+/Ca2+ exchanger NCX2, and plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPases PMCA1 and PMCA4 in ES epithelial cells. These proteins exhibited (i) membranous (apical or basolateral) or cytoplasmic localization patterns, (ii) a proximal-to-distal labeling gradient within the ES, and (iii) different distribution patterns among ES epithelial cell types (mitochondria-rich cells (MRCs) and ribosome-rich cells (RRCs)). Notably, in the inner ear membranous labyrinth, CaSR was exclusively localized in MRCs, suggesting a unique role of the ES epithelium in CaSR-mediated sensing and control of [Ca2+]endolymph. Structural loss of the distal ES, which is consistently observed in Meniere’s disease, may therefore critically disturb [Ca2+]endolymph and contribute to the pathogenesis of Meniere’s disease.
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