scholarly journals Influence of Mpv17 on hair-cell mitochondrial homeostasis, synapse integrity, and vulnerability to damage in the zebrafish lateral line

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Holmgren ◽  
Lavinia Sheets

AbstractNoise exposure is particularly stressful to hair-cell mitochondria, which must produce enough energy to meet high metabolic demands as well as regulate local intracellular Ca2+ concentrations. Mitochondrial Inner Membrane Protein 17 (Mpv17) functions as a non-selective channel and plays a role in maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis. In zebrafish, hair cells in mpv17a9/a9 mutants displayed elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), elevated mitochondrial calcium, hyperpolarized transmembrane potential, and greater vulnerability to neomycin, indicating impaired mitochondrial function. Using a strong water current to overstimulate hair cells in the zebrafish lateral line, we observed mpv17a9/a9 mutant hair cells were more vulnerable to morphological disruption and hair-cell loss than wild type siblings simultaneously exposed to the same stimulus. To determine the role of mitochondrial homeostasis on hair-cell synapse integrity, we surveyed synapse number in mpv17a9/a9 mutants and wild type siblings as well as the sizes of presynaptic dense bodies (ribbons) and postsynaptic densities immediately following stimulus exposure. We observed mechanically injured mpv17a9/a9 neuromasts, while they lost a greater number of hair cells, lost a similar number of synapses per hair cell relative to wild type. Additionally, we quantified the size of hair cell pre- and postsynaptic structures and observed significantly enlarged wild type postsynaptic densities, yet relatively little change in the size of mpv17a9/a9 postsynaptic densities following stimulation. These results suggest impaired hair-cell mitochondrial activity influences synaptic morphology and hair-cell survival but does not exacerbate synapse loss following mechanical injury.

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Holmgren ◽  
Lavinia Sheets

Noise exposure is particularly stressful to hair-cell mitochondria, which must produce enough energy to meet high metabolic demands as well as regulate local intracellular Ca2+ concentrations. Mitochondrial Inner Membrane Protein 17 (Mpv17) functions as a non-selective cation channel and plays a role in maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis. In zebrafish, hair cells in mpv17a9/a9 mutants displayed elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), elevated mitochondrial calcium, hyperpolarized transmembrane potential, and greater vulnerability to neomycin, indicating impaired mitochondrial function. Using a strong water current to overstimulate hair cells in the zebrafish lateral line, we observed mpv17a9/a9 mutant hair cells were more vulnerable to morphological disruption than wild type (WT) siblings simultaneously exposed to the same stimulus. To determine the role of mitochondrial homeostasis on hair-cell synapse integrity, we surveyed synapse number in mpv17a9/a9 mutants and WT siblings as well as the sizes of presynaptic dense bodies (ribbons) and postsynaptic densities immediately following stimulus exposure. We observed mechanically injured mpv17a9/a9 neuromasts were not more vulnerable to synapse loss; they lost a similar number of synapses per hair cell relative to WT. Additionally, we quantified the size of hair cell pre- and postsynaptic structures following stimulation and observed significantly enlarged WT postsynaptic densities, yet relatively little change in the size of mpv17a9/a9 postsynaptic densities following stimulation. These results suggest chronically impaired hair-cell mitochondrial activity influences postsynaptic size under homeostatic conditions but does not exacerbate synapse loss following mechanical injury.


Author(s):  
Melanie Holmgren ◽  
Lavinia Sheets

Hair cells are the mechanosensory receptors of the inner ear and can be damaged by noise, aging, and ototoxic drugs. This damage often results in permanent sensorineural hearing loss. Hair cells have high energy demands and rely on mitochondria to produce ATP as well as contribute to intracellular calcium homeostasis. In addition to generating ATP, mitochondria produce reactive oxygen species, which can lead to oxidative stress, and regulate cell death pathways. Zebrafish lateral-line hair cells are structurally and functionally analogous to cochlear hair cells but are optically and pharmacologically accessible within an intact specimen, making the zebrafish a good model in which to study hair-cell mitochondrial activity. Moreover, the ease of genetic manipulation of zebrafish embryos allows for the study of mutations implicated in human deafness, as well as the generation of transgenic models to visualize mitochondrial calcium transients and mitochondrial activity in live organisms. Studies of the zebrafish lateral line have shown that variations in mitochondrial activity can predict hair-cell susceptibility to damage by aminoglycosides or noise exposure. In addition, antioxidants have been shown to protect against noise trauma and ototoxic drug–induced hair-cell death. In this review, we discuss the tools and findings of recent investigations into zebrafish hair-cell mitochondria and their involvement in cellular processes, both under homeostatic conditions and in response to noise or ototoxic drugs. The zebrafish lateral line is a valuable model in which to study the roles of mitochondria in hair-cell pathologies and to develop therapeutic strategies to prevent sensorineural hearing loss in humans.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Seist ◽  
Lukas D. Landegger ◽  
Nahid G. Robertson ◽  
Sasa Vasilijic ◽  
Cynthia C. Morton ◽  
...  

Cochlin is the most abundant protein in the inner ear. To study its function in response to noise trauma, we exposed adolescent wild-type (Coch+/+) and cochlin knock-out (Coch–/–) mice to noise (8–16 kHz, 103 dB SPL, 2 h) that causes a permanent threshold shift and hair cell loss. Two weeks after noise exposure, Coch–/– mice had substantially less elevation in noise-induced auditory thresholds and hair cell loss than Coch+/+ mice, consistent with cochlin deficiency providing protection from noise trauma. Comparison of pre-noise exposure thresholds of auditory brain stem responses (ABRs) and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) in Coch–/– mice and Coch+/+ littermates revealed a small and significant elevation in thresholds of Coch–/– mice, overall consistent with a small conductive hearing loss in Coch–/– mice. We show quantitatively that the pro-inflammatory component of cochlin, LCCL, is upregulated after noise exposure in perilymph of wild-type mice compared to unexposed mice, as is the enzyme catalyzing LCCL release, aggrecanase1, encoded by Adamts4. We further show that upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines in perilymph and cochlear soft-tissue after noise exposure is lower in cochlin knock-out than wild-type mice. Taken together, our data demonstrate for the first time that cochlin deficiency results in conductive hearing loss that protects against physiologic and molecular effects of noise trauma.


2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (21) ◽  
pp. E4853-E4860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinkyung Kim ◽  
Anping Xia ◽  
Nicolas Grillet ◽  
Brian E. Applegate ◽  
John S. Oghalai

Traumatic noise causes hearing loss by damaging sensory hair cells and their auditory synapses. There are no treatments. Here, we investigated mice exposed to a blast wave approximating a roadside bomb. In vivo cochlear imaging revealed an increase in the volume of endolymph, the fluid within scala media, termed endolymphatic hydrops. Endolymphatic hydrops, hair cell loss, and cochlear synaptopathy were initiated by trauma to the mechanosensitive hair cell stereocilia and were K+-dependent. Increasing the osmolality of the adjacent perilymph treated endolymphatic hydrops and prevented synaptopathy, but did not prevent hair cell loss. Conversely, inducing endolymphatic hydrops in control mice by lowering perilymph osmolality caused cochlear synaptopathy that was glutamate-dependent, but did not cause hair cell loss. Thus, endolymphatic hydrops is a surrogate marker for synaptic bouton swelling after hair cells release excitotoxic levels of glutamate. Because osmotic stabilization prevents neural damage, it is a potential treatment to reduce hearing loss after noise exposure.


Author(s):  
Melanie Holmgren ◽  
Michael E. Ravicz ◽  
Kenneth E. Hancock ◽  
Olga Strelkova ◽  
Artur A. Indzhykulian ◽  
...  

AbstractNoise exposure damages sensory hair cells, resulting in loss of synaptic connections with auditory nerves and hair-cell death. The cellular mechanisms underlying noise-induced hair-cell damage and subsequent repair are not completely understood. Hair cells in neuromasts (NMs) of larval zebrafish are structurally and functionally comparable to mammalian hair cells but undergo robust regeneration following damage. We therefore developed a model for noise-induced hair-cell damage in this highly tractable system. Free swimming larvae exposed to strong water current for 2 hours displayed damage to NMs, including synapse loss, afferent neurite retraction, damaged hair bundles, and reduced mechanotransduction. Overstimulation also elicited an inflammatory response and macrophage recruitment. Remarkably, NM morphology and function appeared to fully recover within 2 days following exposure. Our results reveal morphological and functional changes in mechanically overstimulated lateral-line NMs that are analogous to changes observed in noise-exposed mammalian ear yet are rapidly and completely repaired.


PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9384
Author(s):  
Dietmar Basta ◽  
Moritz Gröschel ◽  
Ira Strübing ◽  
Patrick Boyle ◽  
Felix Fröhlich ◽  
...  

Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is accompanied by a reduction of cochlear hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons. Different approaches have been applied to prevent noise induced apoptosis / necrosis. Physical intervention is one technique currently under investigation. Specific wavelengths within the near-infrared light (NIR)-spectrum are known to influence cytochrome-c-oxidase activity, which leads in turn to a decrease in apoptotic mechanisms. It has been shown recently that NIR can significantly decrease the cochlear hair cell loss if applied daily for 12 days after a noise exposure. However, it is still unclear if a single NIR-treatment, just before a noise exposure, could induce similar protective effects. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of a single NIR-pre-treatment aimed at preventing or limiting NIHL. The cochleae of adult NMRI-mice were pre-treated with NIR-light (808 nm, 120 mW) for 5, 10, 20, 30 or 40 minutes via the external ear canal. All animals were noised exposed immediately after the pre-treatment by broad band noise (5–20 kHz) for 30 minutes at 115 dB SPL. Frequency specific ABR-recordings to determine auditory threshold shift were carried out before the pre-treatment and two weeks after the noise exposure. The amplitude increase for wave IV and cochlear hair cell loss were determined. A further group of similar mice was noise exposed only and served as a control for the NIR pre-exposed groups. Two weeks after noise exposure, the ABR threshold shifts of NIR-treated animals were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than those of the control animals. The significance was at three frequencies for the 5-minute pre-treatment group and across the entire frequency range for all other treatment groups. Due to NIR light, the amplitude of wave four deteriorates significantly less after noise exposure than in controls. The NIR pre-treatment had no effect on the loss of outer hair cells, which was just as high with or without NIR-light pre-exposure. Relative to the entire number of outer hair cells across the whole cochlea, outer hair cell loss was rather negligible. No inner hair cell loss whatever was detected. Our results suggest that a single NIR pre-treatment induces a very effective protection of cochlear structures from noise exposure. Pre-exposure of 10 min seems to emerge as the optimal dosage for our experimental setup. A saturated effect occurred with higher dosage-treatments. These results are relevant for protection of residual hearing in otoneurosurgery such as cochlear implantation.


F1000Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 927 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Charles Liberman

The classic view of sensorineural hearing loss has been that the primary damage targets are hair cells and that auditory nerve loss is typically secondary to hair cell degeneration. Recent work has challenged that view. In noise-induced hearing loss, exposures causing only reversible threshold shifts (and no hair cell loss) nevertheless cause permanent loss of >50% of the synaptic connections between hair cells and the auditory nerve. Similarly, in age-related hearing loss, degeneration of cochlear synapses precedes both hair cell loss and threshold elevation. This primary neural degeneration has remained a “hidden hearing loss” for two reasons: 1) the neuronal cell bodies survive for years despite loss of synaptic connection with hair cells, and 2) the degeneration is selective for auditory nerve fibers with high thresholds. Although not required for threshold detection when quiet, these high-threshold fibers are critical for hearing in noisy environments. Research suggests that primary neural degeneration is an important contributor to the perceptual handicap in sensorineural hearing loss, and it may be key to the generation of tinnitus and other associated perceptual anomalies. In cases where the hair cells survive, neurotrophin therapies can elicit neurite outgrowth from surviving auditory neurons and re-establishment of their peripheral synapses; thus, treatments may be on the horizon.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Jason Qian ◽  
Anthony J. Ricci

AbstractCurrent clinical interest lies in the relationship between hearing loss and cognitive impairment. Previous work demonstrated that noise exposure, a common cause of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), leads to cognitive impairments in mice. However, in noise-induced models, it is difficult to distinguish the effects of noise trauma from subsequent SNHL on central processes. Here, we use cochlear hair cell ablation to isolate the effects of SNHL. Cochlear hair cells were conditionally and selectively ablated in mature, transgenic mice where the human diphtheria toxin (DT) receptor was expressed behind the hair-cell specific Pou4f3 promoter. Due to higher Pou4f3 expression in cochlear hair cells than vestibular hair cells, administration of a low dose of DT caused profound SNHL without vestibular dysfunction and had no effect on wild-type (WT) littermates. Spatial learning/memory was assayed using an automated radial 8-arm maze (RAM), where mice were trained to find food rewards over a 14-day period. The number of working memory errors (WME) and reference memory errors (RME) per training day were recorded. All animals were injected with DT during P30–60 and underwent the RAM assay during P90–120. SNHL animals committed more WME and RME than WT animals, demonstrating that isolated SNHL affected cognitive function. Duration of SNHL (60 versus 90 days post DT injection) had no effect on RAM performance. However, younger age of acquired SNHL (DT on P30 versus P60) was associated with fewer WME. This describes the previously undocumented effect of isolated SNHL on cognitive processes that do not directly rely on auditory sensory input.


eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliot Dow ◽  
Adrian Jacobo ◽  
Sajjad Hossain ◽  
Kimberly Siletti ◽  
A J Hudspeth

The lateral-line neuromast of the zebrafish displays a restricted, consistent pattern of innervation that facilitates the comparison of microcircuits across individuals, developmental stages, and genotypes. We used serial blockface scanning electron microscopy to determine from multiple specimens the neuromast connectome, a comprehensive set of connections between hair cells and afferent and efferent nerve fibers. This analysis delineated a complex but consistent wiring pattern with three striking characteristics: each nerve terminal is highly specific in receiving innervation from hair cells of a single directional sensitivity; the innervation is redundant; and the terminals manifest a hierarchy of dominance. Mutation of the canonical planar-cell-polarity gene vangl2, which decouples the asymmetric phenotypes of sibling hair-cell pairs, results in randomly positioned, randomly oriented sibling cells that nonetheless retain specific wiring. Because larvae that overexpress Notch exhibit uniformly oriented, uniformly innervating hair-cell siblings, wiring specificity is mediated by the Notch signaling pathway.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moataz Dowaidar

Neurotrophin (NT) cochlear gene therapy might perhaps give a single treatment that might greatly enhance neuronal survival, resulting in CI patients, provided the many challenges described above can be adequately addressed and safety concerns allayed by more animal model investigations. This is particularly crucial for juvenile CI patients, who have to rely on electrical hearing for the remainder of their lives, and whose outcomes are quite different. In addition, NT gene therapy may have the potential to treat patients with noise-induced hearing loss or neural presbyacusis (e.g., age-related cochlear synaptopathy), where primary neuronal loss is a key cause of hearing loss. Animal research into noise-induced hearing loss has shown that even exposures that generate only reversible threshold alterations and no hair cell loss can lead to permanent loss of SGN synapses on hair cells, resulting in functional impairments and ultimately SGN degeneration. Cochlear synapses frequently precede both hair cell loss and threshold increases in human ears, according to current studies. Cochlear synaptopathy is characterized by ears with intact hair cell populations and normal audiograms as "hidden" hearing loss. Many frequent perceptual abnormalities, including speech-in-noise difficulties, tinnitus, and hyperacusis, are likely produced by suppressing affected neurons, which radically alters information processing. Thus, in the future, NT gene therapy may be successful in inducing SGN peripheral axon resprouting and synaptic regeneration into residual (or even regenerated) hair cell populations. We have demonstrated compelling evidence that, in this investigation, BDNF gene therapy can boost SGN survival and enhance peripheral axon maintenance or rerouting. NT-3 has been found in adult animals exposed to acoustic damage to induce synaptic regeneration of these fibers, reconnecting them to hair cells and their ribbon synapses, and restoring hearing function. Combining BDNF and NT-3 gene therapy may be the most effective way to maintain/restore a more normal cochlear neuronal substrate.


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