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Hindi Research Article, J Otol Rhinol S Vol: 4 Issue: 1
Postnatal Development and Maturation of the Vestibular Organ in Dominant-Negative Connexin 26 Transgenic Mouse
| Hiroko Okada, Kazusaku Kamiya, Takashi Iizuka and Katsuhisa Ikeda* |
| Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan |
| Corresponding author : Katsuhisa Ikeda, MD 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan Tel: +81-3-5802-1094; Fax: +81-3-5689-0547 E-mail: ike@juntendo.ac.jp |
| Received: November 17, 2014 Accepted: February 23, 2015 Published: March 06, 2015 |
| Citation: Okada H, Kamiya K, Iizuka T, Ikeda K (2015) Postnatal Development and Maturation of the Vestibular Organ in Dominant-Negative Connexin 26 Transgenic Mouse. J Otol Rhinol S1:1. doi:10.4172/2324-8785.S1-009 |
Abstract
Backgrounds: Immunohistochemical studies have revealed that connexin 26 (Cx26) exists not only in the cochlea but also in the vestibular organs. K+ cycling involving gap junction protein Cx26 in the vestibular labyrinth, which is similar to that in the cochlea, is thought to play a fundamental role in endolymph homeostasis and sensory transduction.
Methods: We analyzed the morphological and functional development of the vestibular organ in Cx26 transgenic mice between 0 days after birth (P0) and P140, which was compared with that of littermate control mice (non-Tg).
Results: The gross structure of the inner ear in non-transgenic and transgenic mice revealed no hydrops, no defects, no degeneration in either the cochlea or the vestibule throughout the postnatal period. Light microscopic observations in the sensory epithelium revealed normally developed and matured utricula macula, saccular macula, and ampulla in the transgenic mice, which were very similar to those of the nontransgenic mouse.
Conclusions: The present study clearly demonstrated that postnatal development and maturation in the vestibular organ were morphologically and functionally completed in Cx26 transgenic mice.
