Autocorrelation Analysis of Hair Bundle Structure in the Utricle

2006 ◽  
Vol 96 (5) ◽  
pp. 2653-2669 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. H. Rowe ◽  
E. H. Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Hair Cell ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Type I ◽  
Autocorrelation Analysis ◽  
Response Dynamics ◽  
Hair Bundles ◽  
Vestibular Organs ◽  
Bundle Structure

The ability of hair bundles to signal head movements and sounds depends significantly on their structure, but a quantitative picture of bundle structure has proved elusive. The problem is acute for vestibular organs because their hair bundles exhibit complex morphologies that vary with endorgan, hair cell type, and epithelial locus. Here we use autocorrelation analysis to quantify stereociliary arrays (the number, spacing, and distribution of stereocilia) on hair cells of the turtle utricle. Our first goal was to characterize zonal variation across the macula, from medial extrastriola, through striola, to lateral extrastriola. This is important because it may help explain zonal variation in response dynamics of utricular hair cells and afferents. We also use known differences in type I and II bundles to estimate array characteristics of these two hair cell types. Our second goal was to quantify variation in array orientation at single macular loci and use this to estimate directional tuning in utricular afferents. Our major findings are that, of the features measured, array width is the most distinctive feature of striolar bundles, and within the striola there are significant, negatively correlated gradients in stereocilia number and spacing that parallel gradients in bundle heights. Together with previous results on stereocilia number and bundle heights, our results support the hypothesis that striolar hair cells are specialized to signal high-frequency/acceleration head movements. Finally, there is substantial variation in bundle orientation at single macular loci that may help explain why utricular afferents respond to stimuli orthogonal to their preferred directions.

Differences Between Stereocilia Numbers on Type I and Type II Vestibular Hair Cells

2004 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
pp. 3153-3160 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. J. Moravec ◽  
E. H. Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Hair Cell ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Type I ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Functional Roles ◽  
Vestibular Hair Cells ◽  
Mechanoelectric Transduction ◽  
Bundle Structure

A major outstanding goal of vestibular neuroscience is to understand the distinctive functional roles of type I and type II hair cells. One important question is whether these two hair cell types differ in bundle structure. To address this, we have developed methods to characterize stereocilia numbers on identified type I and type II hair cells in the utricle of a turtle, Trachemys scripta. Our data indicate that type I hair cells, which occur only in the striola, average 95.9 ±16.73 (SD) stereocilia per bundle. In contrast, striolar type II hair cells have 59.9 ± 8.98 stereocilia, and type II hair cells in the adjacent extrastriola average 44.8 ± 10.82 stereocilia. Thus type I hair cells have the highest stereocilia counts in the utricle. These results provide the first direct evidence that type I hair cells have significantly more stereocilia than type II hair cells, and they suggest that the two hair cell types may differ in bundle mechanics and peak mechanoelectric transduction currents.

scholarly journals Steady-state stiffness of utricular hair cells depends on macular location and hair bundle structure

2011 ◽  
Vol 106 (6) ◽  
pp. 2950-2963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corrie Spoon ◽  
W. J. Moravec ◽  
M. H. Rowe ◽  
J. W. Grant ◽  
E. H. Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Head Movement ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Hair Bundle ◽  
Type I ◽  
Response Dynamics ◽  
Functional Interpretation ◽  
Hair Bundles ◽  
Bundle Structure

Spatial and temporal properties of head movement are encoded by vestibular hair cells in the inner ear. One of the most striking features of these receptors is the orderly structural variation in their mechanoreceptive hair bundles, but the functional significance of this diversity is poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that hair bundle structure is a significant contributor to hair bundle mechanics by comparing structure and steady-state stiffness of 73 hair bundles at varying locations on the utricular macula. Our first major finding is that stiffness of utricular hair bundles varies systematically with macular locus. Stiffness values are highest in the striola, near the line of hair bundle polarity reversal, and decline exponentially toward the medial extrastriola. Striolar bundles are significantly more stiff than those in medial (median: 8.9 μN/m) and lateral (2.0 μN/m) extrastriolae. Within the striola, bundle stiffness is greatest in zone 2 (106.4 μN/m), a band of type II hair cells, and significantly less in zone 3 (30.6 μN/m), which contains the only type I hair cells in the macula. Bathing bundles in media that break interciliary links produced changes in bundle stiffness with predictable time course and magnitude, suggesting that links were intact in our standard media and contributed normally to bundle stiffness during measurements. Our second major finding is that bundle structure is a significant predictor of steady-state stiffness: the heights of kinocilia and the tallest stereocilia are the most important determinants of bundle stiffness. Our results suggest 1) a functional interpretation of bundle height variability in vertebrate vestibular organs, 2) a role for the striola in detecting onset of head movement, and 3) the hypothesis that differences in bundle stiffness contribute to diversity in afferent response dynamics.

Structure and Development of Vestibular Hair Cells in the Larval Bullfrog

1979 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheuk W. Li ◽  
Edwin R. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Hair Cell ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Type A ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Sensory Organs ◽  
Sensory Epithelia ◽  
Sensory Structures ◽  
Vestibular Organs

Structure and development of hair cells in vestibular sensory organs of the larval bullfrog were examined with scanning electron microscopy. The larval vestibular sensory epithelia resembled those of the adult frog. Based on morphology of the ciliary tufts, seven hair cell types were identified. One of them, the type A hair cell, appears to be the morphogenetic precursor of other hair cell types. The size of the stereocilia of type A hair cells is comparable to the surrounding microvilli. The distribution of immature type A hair cells suggests that the periphery of the sensory epithelia is the principal growth zone and the site of formation of new hair cells. However, a far greater number of type A hair cells were found in high frequency sensitive sensory organs (sacculus, amphibian and basilar papillae) than low frequency sensitive vestibular sensory structures (canal cristae, utriculus and lagena). This phenomenon may suggest that the time period required for the maturation of type A hair cells to their ultimate hair cell types in the low frequency sensitive vestibular organs is shorter than in the high frequency sensory structures. It is also possible that the low frequency sensitive vestibular organs may have completed their morphogenetic development in the early larval stages, while morphogenesis of hair cells in the high frequency sensory structures continues throughout the lifetime of a bullfrog.

Vestibular Type I and Type II Hair Cells. 1: Morphometric Identification in the Pigeon and Gerbil

1997 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 393-406
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Ricci ◽  
Katherine J. Rennie ◽  
Stephen L. Cochran ◽  
Golda A. Kevetter ◽  
Manning J. Correia
Keyword(s):  
Hair Cell ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Type I ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Body Width ◽  
Fixed Tissue ◽  
Neck Width ◽  
I Cells ◽  
Plate Width

Classically, type I and type II vestibular hair cells have been defined by their afferent innervation patterns. Little quantitative information exists on the intrinsic morphometric differences between hair cell types. Data presented here define a quantitative method for distinguishing hair cell types based on the morphometric properties of the hair cell’s neck region. The method is based initially on fixed histological sections, where hair cell types were identified by innervation pattern, type I cells having an afferent calyx. Cells were viewed using light microscopy, images were digitized, and measurements were made of the cell body width, the cuticular plate width, and the neck width. A plot of the ratio of the neck width to cuticular plate width (NPR) versus the ratio of the neck width to the body width (NBR) established four quadrants based on the best separation of type I and type II hair cells. The combination of the two variables made the accuracy of predicting either type I or type II hair cells greater than 90%. Statistical cluster analysis confirmed the quadrant separation. Similar analysis was performed on dissociated hair cells from semicircular canal, utricle, and lagena, giving results statistically similar to those of the fixed tissue. Additional comparisons were made between fixed tissue and isolated hair cells as well as across species (pigeon and gerbil) and between end organs (semicircular canal, utricle, and lagena). In each case, the same morphometric boundaries could be used to establish four quadrants, where quadrant 1 was predominantly type I cells and quadrant 3 was almost exclusively type II hair cells. The quadrant separations were confirmed statistically by cluster analysis. These data demonstrate that there are intrinsic morphometric differences between type I and type II hair cells and that these differences can be maintained when the hair cells are dissociated from their respective epithelia.

scholarly journals Supporting cells remove and replace sensory receptor hair cells in a balance organ of adult mice

eLife ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A Bucks ◽  
Brandon C Cox ◽  
Brittany A Vlosich ◽  
James P Manning ◽  
Tot B Nguyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hair Cells ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Sensory Receptor ◽  
Type I ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Supporting Cells ◽  
Definitive Evidence ◽  
Vestibular Hair Cells ◽  
Adult Mice ◽  
Vestibular Organs

Vestibular hair cells in the inner ear encode head movements and mediate the sense of balance. These cells undergo cell death and replacement (turnover) throughout life in non-mammalian vertebrates. However, there is no definitive evidence that this process occurs in mammals. We used fate-mapping and other methods to demonstrate that utricular type II vestibular hair cells undergo turnover in adult mice under normal conditions. We found that supporting cells phagocytose both type I and II hair cells. Plp1-CreERT2-expressing supporting cells replace type II hair cells. Type I hair cells are not restored by Plp1-CreERT2-expressing supporting cells or by Atoh1-CreERTM-expressing type II hair cells. Destruction of hair cells causes supporting cells to generate 6 times as many type II hair cells compared to normal conditions. These findings expand our understanding of sensorineural plasticity in adult vestibular organs and further elucidate the roles that supporting cells serve during homeostasis and after injury.

On the Legacy of Genetically Altered Mouse Models to Explore Vestibular Function: Distribution of Vestibular Hair Cell Phenotypes in the Otoferlin-Null Mouse

2019 ◽  
Vol 128 (6_suppl) ◽  
pp. 125S-133S ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry J. Prins ◽  
Johnny J. Saldate ◽  
Gerald S. Berke ◽  
Larry F. Hoffman
Keyword(s):  
Hair Cell ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Vestibular Function ◽  
Null Mouse ◽  
Type I ◽  
Vestibular Hypofunction ◽  
Cellular Changes ◽  
Sensory Epithelia ◽  
Vestibular Sensory Epithelia ◽  
Cell Phenotypes

Objectives: Early in his career, David Lim recognized the scientific impact of genetically anomalous mice exhibiting otoconia agenesis as models of drastically compromised vestibular function. While these studies focused on the mutant pallid mouse, contemporary genetic tools have produced other models with engineered functional modifications. Lim and colleagues foresaw the need to analyze vestibular epithelia from pallid mice to verify the absence of downstream consequences that might be secondary to the altered load represented by otoconial agenesis. More generally, however, such comparisons also contribute to an understanding of the susceptibility of labyrinthine sensory epithelia to more widespread cellular changes associated with what may appear as isolated modifications. Methods: Our laboratory utilizes a model of vestibular hypofunction produced through genetic alteration, the otoferlin-null mouse, which has been shown to exhibit severely compromised stimulus-evoked neurotransmitter release in type I hair cells of the utricular striola. The present study, reminiscent of early investigations of Lim and colleagues that explored the utility of a genetically altered mouse to explore its utility as a model of vestibular hypofunction, endeavored to compare the expression of the hair cell marker oncomodulin in vestibular epithelia from wild-type and otoferlin-null mice. Results: We found that levels of oncomodulin expression were much greater in type I than type II hair cells, though were similar across the 3 genotypes examined (ie, including heterozygotes). Conclusion: These findings support the notion that modifications resulting in a specific component of vestibular hypofunction are not accompanied by widespread morphologic and cellular changes in the vestibular sensory epithelia.

Temporal Bone Studies of the Human Peripheral Vestibular System

2000 ◽  
Vol 109 (5_suppl) ◽  
pp. 20-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kojiro Tsuji ◽  
Steven D. Rauch ◽  
Conrad Wall ◽  
Luis Velázquez-Villaseñor ◽  
Robert J. Glynn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hair Cell ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Significant Loss ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Type I ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Vestibular Hair Cells ◽  
Scarpa's Ganglion ◽  
Temporal Bones

Quantitative assessments of vestibular hair cells and Scarpa's ganglion cells were performed on 17 temporal bones from 10 individuals who had well-documented clinical evidence of aminoglycoside ototoxicity (streptomycin, kanamycin, and neomycin). Assessment of vestibular hair cells was performed by Nomarski (differential interference contrast) microscopy. Hair cell counts were expressed as densities (number of cells per 0.01 mm2 surface area of the sensory epithelium). The results were compared with age-matched normal data. Streptomycin caused a significant loss of both type I and type II hair cells in all 5 vestibular sense organs. In comparing the ototoxic effect on type I versus type II hair cells, there was greater type I hair cell loss for all 3 cristae, but not for the maculae. The vestibular ototoxic effects of kanamycin appeared to be similar to those of streptomycin, but the small sample size precluded definitive conclusions from being made. Neomycin did not cause loss of vestibular hair cells. Within the limits of this study (maximum postototoxicity survival time of 12 months), there was no significant loss of Scarpa's ganglion cells for any of the 3 drugs. The findings have implications in several clinical areas, including the correlation of vestibular test results to pathological findings, the rehabilitation of patients with vestibular ototoxicity, the use of aminoglycosides to treat Meniere's disease, and the development of a vestibular prosthesis.

Membrane Properties of Chick Semicircular Canal Hair Cells In Situ During Embryonic Development

2000 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 2740-2756 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Masetto ◽  
P. Perin ◽  
A. Malusà ◽  
G. Zucca ◽  
P. Valli
Keyword(s):  
Hair Cell ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Central Zone ◽  
Cell Voltage ◽  
Peripheral Zone ◽  
Membrane Properties ◽  
Voltage Response ◽  
Type I ◽  
Electrophysiological Properties ◽  
Different Types

The electrophysiological properties of developing vestibular hair cells have been investigated in a chick crista slice preparation, from embryonic day 10 ( E10) to E21 (when hatching would occur). Patch-clamp whole-cell experiments showed that different types of ion channels are sequentially expressed during development. An inward Ca2+ current and a slow outward rectifying K+current ( I K(V)) are acquired first, at or before E10, followed by a rapid transient K+current ( I K(A)) at E12, and by a small Ca-dependent K+ current ( I KCa) at E14. Hair cell maturation then proceeds with the expression of hyperpolarization-activated currents: a slow I h appears first, around E16, followed by the fast inward rectifier I K1around E19. From the time of its first appearance, I K(A) is preferentially expressed in peripheral ( zone 1) hair cells, whereas inward rectifying currents are preferentially expressed in intermediate ( zone 2) and central ( zone 3) hair cells. Each conductance conferred distinctive properties on hair cell voltage response. Starting from E15, some hair cells, preferentially located at the intermediate region, showed the amphora shape typical of type I hair cells. From E17 (a time when the afferent calyx is completed) these cells expressed I K, L, the signature current of mature type I hair cells. Close to hatching, hair cell complements and regional organization of ion currents appeared similar to those reported for the mature avian crista. By the progressive acquisition of different types of inward and outward rectifying currents, hair cell repolarization after both positive- and negative-current injections is greatly strengthened and speeded up.

scholarly journals alms1 mutant zebrafish do not show hair cell phenotypes seen in other cilia mutants

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Parkinson ◽  
Tamara M. Stawicki
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hair Cell ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Intraflagellar Transport ◽  
Cell Loss ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Mutant Mice ◽  
Alström Syndrome ◽  
Metabolic Defects ◽  
Alstrom Syndrome

ABSTRACTMultiple cilia-associated genes have been shown to affect hair cells in zebrafish (Danio rerio), including the human deafness gene dcdc2, the radial spoke gene rsph9, and multiple intraflagellar transport (IFT) and transition zone genes. Recently a zebrafish alms1 mutant was generated. The ALMS1 gene is the gene mutated in the ciliopathy Alström Syndrome a disease that causes hearing loss among other symptoms. The hearing loss seen in Alström Syndrome may be due in part to hair cell defects as Alms1 mutant mice show stereocilia polarity defects and a loss of hair cells. Hair cell loss is also seen in postmortem analysis of Alström patients. The zebrafish alms1 mutant has metabolic defects similar to those seen in Alström syndrome and Alms1 mutant mice. We wished to investigate if it also had hair cell defects. We, however, failed to find any hair cell related phenotypes in alms1 mutant zebrafish. They had normal lateral line hair cell numbers as both larvae and adults and normal kinocilia formation. They also showed grossly normal swimming behavior, response to vibrational stimuli, and FM1-43 loading. Mutants also showed a normal degree of sensitivity to both short-term neomycin and long-term gentamicin treatment. These results indicate that cilia-associated genes differentially affect different hair cell types.

scholarly journals Cnidarian hair cell development illuminates an ancient role for the class IV POU transcription factor in defining mechanoreceptor identity

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ethan Ozment ◽  
Arianna N Tamvacakis ◽  
Jianhong Zhou ◽  
Pablo Yamild Rosiles-Loeza ◽  
Esteban Elías Escobar-Hernandez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Hair Cell ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Cell Development ◽  
Developmental Genetics ◽  
Sea Anemones ◽  
Recognition Elements ◽  
Class Iv

Although specialized mechanosensory cells are found across animal phylogeny, early evolutionary histories of mechanoreceptor development remain enigmatic. Cnidaria (e.g. sea anemones and jellyfishes) is the sister group to well-studied Bilateria (e.g. flies and vertebrates), and has two mechanosensory cell types - a lineage-specific sensory-effector known as the cnidocyte, and a classical mechanosensory neuron referred to as the hair cell. While developmental genetics of cnidocytes is increasingly understood, genes essential for cnidarian hair cell development are unknown. Here we show that the class IV POU homeodomain transcription factor (POU-IV) - an indispensable regulator of mechanosensory cell differentiation in Bilateria and cnidocyte differentiation in Cnidaria - controls hair cell development in the sea anemone cnidarian Nematostella vectensis. N. vectensis POU-IV is postmitotically expressed in tentacular hair cells, and is necessary for development of the apical mechanosensory apparatus, but not of neurites, in hair cells. Moreover, it binds to deeply conserved DNA recognition elements, and turns on a unique set of effector genes - including the transmembrane-receptor-encoding gene polycystin 1 - specifically in hair cells. Our results suggest that POU-IV directs differentiation of cnidarian hair cells and cnidocytes via distinct gene regulatory mechanisms, and support an evolutionarily ancient role for POU-IV in defining the mature state of mechanosensory neurons.

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