TY - JOUR
T1 - Developmental expression of Kcnq4 in vestibular neurons and neurosensory epithelia
AU - Rocha-Sanchez, Sonia M.S.
AU - Morris, Kenneth A.
AU - Kachar, Bechara
AU - Nichols, David
AU - Fritzsch, Bernd
AU - Beisel, Kirk W.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Dr. Kevin Jones for supplying the Bdnf 2lox/2lox mice and Dr. Andrew Groves for providing the Tg(Pax2-cre)1Akg mice. This work was supported in part by NIH grants (R01 DC05009, DC005590, DC04279 and DC07592), the National Organization of Hearing Research, Deafness Research Foundation and NIH/NIDCD minority post-doctoral fellowship to S.M.S. Rocha-Sanchez. We are also grateful for the technical assistance of Heather C. Jensen-Smith. The confocal microscopic system was made available by the Nebraska Center for Cell Biology at Creighton University.
PY - 2007/3/30
Y1 - 2007/3/30
N2 - Sensory signal transduction of the inner ear afferent neurons and hair cells (HCs) requires numerous ionic conductances. The KCNQ4 voltage-gated M-type potassium channel is thought to set the resting membrane potential in cochlear HCs. Here we describe the spatiotemporal expression patterns of Kcnq4 and the associated alternative splice forms in the HCs of vestibular labyrinth. Whole mount immunodetection, qualitative and quantitative RT-PCR were performed to characterize the expression patterns of Kcnq4 transcripts and proteins. A topographical expression and upregulation of Kcnq4 during development was observed and indicated that Kcnq4 is not restricted to either a specific vestibular structure or cell type, but is present in afferent calyxes, vestibular ganglion neurons, and both type I and type II HCs. Of the four alternative splice variants, Kcnq4_v1 transcripts were the predominant form in the HCs, while Kcnq4_v3 was the major variant in the vestibular neurons. Differential quantitative expression of Kcnq4_v1 and Kcnq4_v3 were respectively detected in the striolar and extra-striolar regions of the utricle and saccule. Analysis of gerbils and rats yielded results similar to those obtained in mice, suggesting that the spatiotemporal expression pattern of Kcnq4 in the vestibular system is conserved among rodents. Analyses of vestibular HCs of Bdnf conditional mutant mice, which are devoid of any innervation, demonstrate that regulation of Kcnq4 expression in vestibular HCs is independent of innervation.
AB - Sensory signal transduction of the inner ear afferent neurons and hair cells (HCs) requires numerous ionic conductances. The KCNQ4 voltage-gated M-type potassium channel is thought to set the resting membrane potential in cochlear HCs. Here we describe the spatiotemporal expression patterns of Kcnq4 and the associated alternative splice forms in the HCs of vestibular labyrinth. Whole mount immunodetection, qualitative and quantitative RT-PCR were performed to characterize the expression patterns of Kcnq4 transcripts and proteins. A topographical expression and upregulation of Kcnq4 during development was observed and indicated that Kcnq4 is not restricted to either a specific vestibular structure or cell type, but is present in afferent calyxes, vestibular ganglion neurons, and both type I and type II HCs. Of the four alternative splice variants, Kcnq4_v1 transcripts were the predominant form in the HCs, while Kcnq4_v3 was the major variant in the vestibular neurons. Differential quantitative expression of Kcnq4_v1 and Kcnq4_v3 were respectively detected in the striolar and extra-striolar regions of the utricle and saccule. Analysis of gerbils and rats yielded results similar to those obtained in mice, suggesting that the spatiotemporal expression pattern of Kcnq4 in the vestibular system is conserved among rodents. Analyses of vestibular HCs of Bdnf conditional mutant mice, which are devoid of any innervation, demonstrate that regulation of Kcnq4 expression in vestibular HCs is independent of innervation.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.12.087
DO - 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.12.087
M3 - Article
C2 - 17292869
AN - SCOPUS:33847296559
VL - 1139
SP - 117
EP - 125
JO - Brain Research
JF - Brain Research
SN - 0006-8993
IS - 1
ER -