A novel RFP-RET transgenic mouse model with abundant eumelanin in the cochlea

We report on the cochlea of a novel metallothionein-I (MT)/RFP-RET transgenic mouse model with severe systemic melanosis. Electron microscopy revealed that these transgenic mice possess abundant quantities of melanin in the intermediate cells of the stria vascularis. High performance liquid chromatography analysis indicated that cochleae of these transgenic mice contained about twice as much eumelanin as cochleae of control C57BL/6 mice and that the amount of pheomelanin was approximately equal in these two strains. Auditory brainstem responses at 2, 4, 8, and 16 kHz were not significantly different between transgenic and control mice. This is the first report on a mouse model of overproduction of cochlear eumelanin, and our results suggest that this transgenic mouse is an excellent model for investigating the effects of overexpression of cochlear eumelanin. In addition, we provide evidence that eumelanin overproduction in the cochlea does not affect normal hearing.     

Noise-induced hearing loss: the effect of melanin in the stria vascularis.

Conflicting investigations regarding the potential protective effect of melanin against noise-induced sensorineural hearing loss have suggested that eumelanin and pheomelanin may have differing effects within the stria vascularis. Three strains of C57BL/6J mice, (+/+, a/a) wild-types (dark coats/black eyes), (c2j/c2j, a/a), albinos (white coats/pink eyes), and (+/+, Ay/Ay) yellow mice (yellow coats/black eyes), were subjected to five consecutive days of broad band noise exposure at 112 dB(A) SPL for 3 h/day. Cochlear function was evaluated with auditory brainstem response audiometry to pure tones immediately pre-exposure, 5-6 h postexposure, and 14 days post-exposure. No significant difference in the degree of sensorineural hearing loss induced in the three strains of mice was identified. The eumelanin and pheomelanin content of each stria vascularis and amount of protein per stria for both mouse and guinea pig (2/NCR) were determined via high performance liquid chromatography. No pheomelanin was found in the stria of yellow mice, suggesting that coat color is not an accurate predictor of strial melanin content. The melanin content per mg of strial protein was higher in mice than in guinea pigs. A species-specific difference in melanin content does not explain the absence of a protective effect in mice.     

小鼠自然老化过程中耳蜗的糖代谢障碍

应用定量组织化学技术分析了ＣＢＡ和Ｃ５７ＢＬ小鼠耳蜗中糖元代谢的改变，发现１８个月和３６个月龄ＣＢＡ小鼠的毛细胞和血管纹中，糖元含量比６周龄ＣＢＡ正常小鼠明显增高，说明在自然老化ＣＢＡ小鼠耳蜗中存在糖元储积现象。     

Degeneration of stria vascularis in age-related hearing loss; a corrosion cast study in a mouse model

Conclusion With age, in a mouse model, degenerative changes to the capillaries of the stria vascularis are observed. These range from a narrowing of vessel lumen to complete degeneration of strial vessels. Other vascular beds in the cochlea are relatively unchanged with age. Strial capillaries at the cochlear base are significantly more affected than those in mid-apical turns.

Objectives Previous work suggests that age-related hearing loss is associated with degenerative changes to cochlear vasculature; the term strial presbyacusis is often cited. This study reports on vascular changes observed in a murine model of presbyacusis, analyzed using corrosion cast techniques.

Methods A novel corrosion cast technique was developed to compare cochlear vasculature in control mice (non-presbycusic, CD1) and old (>?6 months) C57BL/6 animals. ABR measures indicated a significant age-related threshold elevation in the C57BL/6 mice. Cochlear vascular casts were imaged using scanning electron microscopy, and vessel degeneration was quantified by measuring capillary diameters.

Results Corrosion casts of cochlear vasculature in 6–12 month old C57BL/6 mice reveal significant degeneration of stria vascularis. Other capillary beds (spiral ligament and the spiral limbus) appear unchanged. Comparison of strial capillary diameters reveals significantly more damage in basal/lower-turn regions compared with the cochlear mid-turn.     

Cochlear degeneration in aged rats of four strains.

Animals with various degrees of inbreeding, some of which are albino, are frequently used in biological research. Albinos do not produce melanin and it is therefore absent from the cochlea. While the function of melanin is unknown, it has been hypothesized that it is involved in cochlear homeostasis. It is possible then, that age-related degeneration may be affected by the presence or absence of melanin. We therefore evaluated young (2-6 months old) and aged (24-36 months old) cochleas in 4 different rat strains: albino Fischer 344 and Lewis rats and pigmented Lewis-Brown Norway F1 rats and Brown Norway rats. Cochlear morphology was the same across all strains of young adult animals with the exception that the pigmented animals had small, darkly stained granules in the stria vascularis. The aged pigmented animals all had large granules as well as small ones. Degeneration of spiral ganglion cells in the apical region of the ganglion had occurred in the old animals of all strains. Strial degeneration at the apex was also present in aged animals. There was no correlation between the presence or absence of melanin and the magnitude of cochlear degenerative changes in the aged animals. The presence or absence of melanin therefore, appears to have no effect on cochlear degeneration in the aged rat cochlea.     

Age-related morphological changes in the basement membrane in the stria vascularis of C57BL/6 mice

Basement membrane anionic sites (BMAS) are involved in the selective transport of electrically charged macromolecules in cochlear capillaries. Using cationic polyethyleneimine (PEI), we examined age-related changes in BMAS in the cochleae of C57BL/6 mice. The mice were grouped according to age as follows: 3 days, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months. In the right bony labyrinths, widths of the stria vascularis were measured in paraffin-embedded sections using light microscopy. The left bony labyrinths were immersed in a 0.5 % cationic PEI solution and embedded in epoxy resin. Ultrathin sections of the left cochlea were examined using transmission electron microscopy. A significant difference in stria vascularis width was observed between the 4-week-old and 12-month-old mice. The PEI distribution in the capillary and epithelial basement membranes (BMs) of the cochlea was observed. In all animals, PEI particles were evenly distributed in the capillary BM of the spiral ligament and in the subepithelial BM of Reissner’s membrane. In the stria vascularis, PEI particles were evenly distributed in the capillary BM in 3-day-old mice. In 4- and 8-week-old mice, PEI particle sizes were markedly lower than those observed in 3-day-old mice. In 6- and 12-month-old mice, PEI particles were hardly detected in the strial capillary BM. In the strial capillary BM in these mice, the laminae rarae externa and interna disappeared, but the lamina densa became larger. We speculated that age-related changes of strial capillary BMAS may affect electrically charged macromolecule transport systems in the stria vascularis of C57BL/6 mice.     

Comparison of cochlear morphology and apoptosis in mouse models of presbycusis

Objectives

Morphological studies on presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, have been performed in several different strains of mice that demonstrate hearing loss with auditory pathology. The C57BL/6 (C57) mouse is a known model of early onset presbycusis, while the CBA mouse is characterized by relatively late onset hearing loss. We performed this study to further understand how early onset hearing loss is related with the aging process of the cochlea.

Methods

We compared C57 cochlear pathology and its accompanying apoptotic processes to those in CBA mice. Hearing thresholds and outer hair cell functions have been evaluated by auditory brainstem response (ABR) recordings and distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE).

Results

ABR recordings and DPOAE studies demonstrated high frequency hearing loss in C57 mice at P3mo of age. Cochlear morphologic studies of P1mo C57 and CBA mice did not show differences in the organ of Corti, spiral ganglion, or stria vascularis. However, from P3mo and onwards, a predominant early outer hair cell degeneration at the basal turn of the cochlea in C57 mice without definitive degeneration of spiral ganglion cells and stria vascularis/spiral ligament, compared with CBA mice, was observed. Additionally, apoptotic processes in the C57 mice also demonstrated an earlier progression.

Conclusion

These data suggest that the C57 mouse could be an excellent animal model for early onset ''sensory'' presbycusis in their young age until P6mo. Further studies to investigate the intrinsic or extrinsic etiologic factors that lead to the early degeneration of organ of Corti, especially in the high frequency region, in C57 mice may provide a possible pathological mechanism of early onset hearing loss.     

Reduction in Sharpness of Frequency Tuning but not Endocochlear Potential in Aging and Noise-Exposed BALB/cJ Mice

Schuknecht proposed categories for human age-related hearing loss (ARHL) based upon whether the primary degeneration involves the organ of Corti (sensory ARHL), spiral ganglion cells (neural), stria vascularis (strial), or a combination of these (mixed). Genetically standardized mouse ARHL models can help validate Schuknecht's framework and clarify the underlying cellular processes. Much recent work has focused on the mouse Ahl locus, which promotes both ARHL and noise-induced hearing loss. On the C57BL/6 inbred background, Ahl has been associated with degeneration of organ of Corti, afferent neurons, and stria vascularis/spiral ligament, suggesting that it promotes mixed (sensory/neural/strial) ARHL. Some cochlear degeneration in C57BL/6 mice could be caused by genes other than Ahl, however. The question of what constitutes Ahl-related pathology can be addressed by comparing C57BL/6 mice with other strains that carry the same allele, including BALB/c substrains. We examined the effects of aging and broadband noise exposure in inbred BALB/cJ mice (1.5–13.0 mos) using measures of frequency tuning (compound action potential tuning curves) (CAPTCs), strial function (endocochlear potential recording, EP), and light microscopy. Aging and noise led to generally similar physiological and anatomical changes. Reductions in sensitivity and sharpness of frequency tuning were not consistently linked to hair cell loss, reduction in the EP, or changes in the lateral wall. Instead they appeared best explained by alterations in supporting cells in the basal half of the cochlear and in the spiral limbus in the apex. These results emphasize the importance of cell types other than hair cells in cochlear pathology. They also indicate that Ahl does not necessarily promote a strial form of ARHL.     

Age-related changes in the murine cochlear lateral wall

Cochleas from C57BL/6 mice were investigated electrophysiologically and histochemically to evaluate the pathology of presbycusis. The average auditory brainstem response thresholds from 6-week-old mice were significantly lower than those of 6-month-old mice and those of 1-year-old mice. Histologic observation revealed changes in the cochlea after age 6 months. Conventional hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining showed disorganization of the organ of Corti, a decrease in the number of spiral ganglion cells, and atrophy of the stria vascularis. Although H&E staining and type II collagen immunolabeling did not show obvious changes in the spiral ligament (SL), the density of connexin 26 staining was reduced in this region. Sodium-potassium-adenosinetriphosphatase immunolabeling was increased in the SL, whereas its average density was not significantly altered in the stria vascularis. These results suggest that the SL could be among the regions responsible for cochlear malfunction with aging.     

C57BL/6J 小鼠耳蜗血管纹Na-K-2Cl联合转运子-1的年龄相关性变化

目的观察不同周龄C57BL/6J(C57)小鼠听力及血管纹Na-K-2Cl联合转运子-1(Na-K-2Cl co-transporter-1,NKCC1)表达的情况。方法应用听性脑干反应(auditory brainstemresponse,ABR)分别检测4、8、16、32、48、64周龄组C57小鼠的听力;采用免疫组织化学染色法观察其血管纹NKCC1表达的变化。结果C57小鼠随年龄增大出现听力下降,自16周龄时ABR阈值出现显著性增高(P<0.05);血管纹NKCC1表达也出现年龄相关性减少,其灰度值自16周龄时显著增高(P<0.01)。结论C57小鼠血管纹NKCC1蛋白表达随年龄增长而减少,可能与年龄相关性听力损失具有一定相关性。     

p-ERK5在快速衰老小鼠耳蜗血管纹中的增龄性变化

目的探讨快速衰老小鼠耳蜗血管纹中磷酸化的细胞外信号调节激酶5（phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase 5, p ERK5）表达的增龄性变化。方法选用3、5、7月龄的快速衰老小鼠亚系８（senescence accelerated mouse, ＳＡＭＰ８）各６只,分别进行８ｋＨｚ短纯音听性脑干反应（ＡＢＲ）检测,并用免疫组化染色方法分别检测各月龄组小鼠耳蜗血管纹细胞中p ERK5的表达,分析其增龄性变化。结果3、５、７月龄小鼠耳蜗血管纹细胞中p ERK5平均光密度值分别为0.3838±0.0020、0.3646±0.0010、0.3423±0.0036; p ERK5在不同月龄快速衰老小鼠耳蜗组织中的表达光密度值随着月龄增加而显著降低（P＜０.０５）。结论随着年龄相关性功能减退,快速衰老小鼠耳蜗血管纹中p ERK5的表达水平逐渐降低,推测p ERK5可能与维持正常的耳蜗功能及听觉有关。     

Ultrastructural and physiological defects in the cochlea of the Mpv17 mouse strain. A comparison between young and old adult animals

Ultrastructural investigations were performed in young (approximately 2 months) and old (7 months) Mpv17-negative and wild-type mice. The onset, the severity and the pattern of the degeneration significantly differed between both mice strains. In the wild-type mouse strain the degenerative changes of the cochlear structures were similar to the aging pattern described for other species. In contrast, the Mpv17 mutants showed degenerative changes of the cochlear structures already at the age of 2 months. The degenerative changes were patchy arranged throughout the entire length of the cochlea and involved the organ of Corti as well as the stria vascularis epithelia with alterations of the basement membrane of the capillaries. The severe sensorineural hearing loss and degenerative changes of the cochlear structures indicate that cochlear structures, especially the outer hair cells and the intermediate cells of the stria vascularis, are vulnerable to the missing Mpv17 gene product.     

Pigmented cells of the stria vascularis and spiral ligament of the chinchilla

This study was designed to investigate the cellular distribution and ultrastructure of melanin pigment in the stria vascularis and spiral ligament of the chinchilla cochlea. Typical dendritic melanocytes containing homogeneously distributed eumelanin granules were observed in the spiral ligament. In the stria vascularis melanin was found to occur in three types of cells (heavily pigmented cells that appear to be melanocytes, intermediate cells and basal cells). The melanocyte-like cells contain pigment globules composed of melanin granules, granular matrix and occasional lipid droplets in a configuration similar to that of neuromelanin. These cells are morphologically distinct from intermediate cells which contain sparsely distributed, small, dense granules apparently composed of melanin. The intermediate cells show a positive DOPA reaction and portions of the intermediate cell GERL system display intense acid phosphatase reactivity. The basal cells of the chinchilla stria were also found to contain occasional clusters of melanin granules. It is hypothesized that the basal cells may acquire melanin by donation from the other pigmented cells of the lateral cochlear wall.     

Comparison of the auditory sensitivity of neurons in the cochlear nucleus and inferior colliculus of young and aging C57BL/6J and CBA/J mice

Thresholds of neurons to sounds were compared as a function of central auditory structure [ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN), dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN), and inferior colliculus (IC)] in young and middle-aged C57BL/6J mice (multiple- and single-unit recordings) and in young and old CBA/J mice (single-unit recordings). Middle-aged C57 mice show progressive loss of sensitivity to high frequencies and noise due to cochlear pathology; CBA mice show little loss of sensitivity through most of their lifespan. Multiple-unit threshold curves (MTCs) for tones indicated that neurons in the C57 VCN suffered a greater degree of age-related loss of sensitivity than neurons in the IC (from an earlier study). Furthermore, whereas the low frequency portions of MTCs in IC neurons in high frequency tonotopic regions typically become 'sensitized' in middle-aged C57 mice (i.e., lower thresholds than young mice), such was not the case for VCN neurons. In contrast to VCN neurons, MTCs of the population of DCN neurons studied were statistically indistinguishable from those of the IC. Measurements of single-unit response areas in C57 mice corroborated the MTCs. In CBA mice, little effect of age was found in comparing single-unit response areas of young and old mice. The findings indicate that sensorineural impairment in middle-aged C57 mice is accompanied by threshold changes that are more severe in the VCN than in the IC or DCN. Because the VCN and DCN are believed to play different roles in hearing, the functions they support should, likewise, be affected to different extents by age-related hearing loss.     

C57BL/6J小鼠听力及耳蜗毛细胞活性的年龄相关性研究

目的 建立年龄相关性听力损失(age-related hearing loss,AHL)的小鼠动物模型,探讨C57BL/6J小鼠发生AHL与毛细胞活性变化的关系,并初步对C57BL/6J小鼠AHL模型进行AHL的病理分类.方法 按3、8、9、10、17、18月龄段分6组培育C57BL/6J小鼠,各组分别进行听性脑干反应(ABR)测试,对耳蜗毛细胞行琥珀酸脱氢酶染色并作基底膜硬铺片,观察各年龄段小鼠内外毛细胞线粒体琥珀酸脱氢酶的活性.结果 C57BL/6J小鼠随年龄增大,ABR阈值明显增高,在3月龄到9月龄期间ABR平均反应阈值增大比较缓慢,差异无统计学意义;在10月龄时,出现明显的听力下降,平均阈值比3月龄时约高18～23 dB,差异有统计学意义(click:t=5.78,P＜0.01;6 kHz:t =3.93,P＜0.01;8 kHz:t=3.01,P＜0.05).10月龄后小鼠听力继续下降,21月龄时平均阈值比3月龄时增高约60～68 dB,差异有显著统计学意义(click:t=31.23,P＜0.01;6 kHz:t=30.44,P＜0.01;8 kHz:t=33.83,P＜0.01).琥珀酸脱氰酶染色显示,随年龄增大,毛细胞线粒体活性丧失逐渐加重:先是底回外毛细胞活性下降,接着发生活性消失,并逐渐向顶回发展,最后累及内毛细胞.结论 C57BL/6J小鼠具有典型的年龄相关性听力损失特点,其听力下降的原因早期可能主要足外毛细胞及内毛细胞活性的丧失,晚期可能是由于基底膜结构混乱,导致电生理屏障消失,致耳蜗内电位(EP)不能维持而引起.C57BL/6J小鼠可作为感音型老年性听力损失动物模型.     

The cochlea of the spontaneously diabetic mouse. I. Electron microscopic observation of KK mice

We examined the cochleae of the spontaneously diabetic KK mice by using transmission electron microscopy. At the age of 3 months, the mice started to show evidence for glycosuria and hyperglycemia, and tissue sections showed beginning cochlear pathology. The pathological changes present were found to be limited to the stria vascularis: protrusions of marginal cells, swellings of intermediate cells and widening of intercellular spaces were the main findings seen. These changes progressed with age, but were not observed in age-matched non-diabetic 57BL/6 mice. The possible mechanism of diabetes causing cochlear pathology is discussed.     

The cochlea of the spontaneously diabetic mouse

Summary We examined the cochleae of the spontaneously diabetic KK mice by using transmission electron microscopy. At the age of 3 months, the mice started to show evidence for glycosuria and hyperglycemia, and tissue sections showed beginning cochlear pathology. The pathological changes present were found to be limited to the stria vascularis: protrusions of marginal cells, swellings of intermediate cells and widening of intercellular spaces were the main findings seen. These changes progressed with age, but were not observed in age-matched nondiabetic 57BL/6 mice. The possible mechanism of diabetes causing cochlear pathology is discussed.     

NKCC1和Na-K-ATPase通道蛋白与老年性耳聋的关系及其在老年性耳聋不同阶段中的作用

目的：通过对C57BL/6J小鼠耳蜗中NKCC1和Na-K-ATPase的年龄相关性表达的研究，分析其与老年性耳聋的关系并进一步探讨其在老年性耳聋发生发展不同阶段中的作用。方法通过听性脑干反应（ABR）分别检测C57BL/6J小鼠在4、24和48周年龄段的听力水平。采用实时免疫荧光定量逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）法分别检测NKCC1和Na-K-ATPase mRNA在各年龄段小鼠耳蜗中的表达水平。结果随着C57BL/6J鼠龄的增加，其ABR反应阈值逐渐升高（P〈0.05）。RT-PCR显示NKCC1和Na-K-ATPase mRNA在耳蜗的表达水平存在随鼠龄增加逐渐下降的趋势（P＜0.01）。结论 C57BL/6J小鼠的ABR反应阈值随鼠龄增加逐渐增高，具有老年性耳聋的特征；NKCC1和Na-K-ATPase两种通道蛋白随鼠龄的增加逐渐下降，与C57BL/6J小鼠的年龄相关性听力下降密切相关，可能与老年性耳聋后期发展及恶化有关。     

The functional age of hearing loss in a mouse model of presbycusis. II. Neuroanatomical correlates

This report relates patterns of age-related outer hair cell (OHC) loss to auditory behavioral deficits in C57BL/6J mice. Hair cell counts were made from serial sections of the cochlear partition in three subject groups representing young (2-3 months), middle (8-9 months), and old ages (12-13 months). The cochlear location of OHC counts was determined from three-dimensional computerized reconstructions of the serial sections. Comparisons of the topographic distribution of surviving OHCs across the subject groups confirmed an orderly base-to-apex progression of cochlear degeneration that is well known in this mouse strain. All mice appeared to follow the same progression of OHC loss, although subjects showed considerable variation in the rate at which they advanced through a uniform sequence of structural changes. Behavioral implications of the magnitude and location of OHC loss were investigated by correlating the histological status of individual mice with sound detection thresholds from the same subjects [Hear. Res. 183 (2003) 44-56]. The analysis revealed regionalized patterns of OHC loss that were correlated with frequency-dependent changes in hearing thresholds, and validates the use of 'functional age' as an indicator of age-related cochlear degeneration and dysfunction. In the absence of physiologically defined cochlear frequency maps for C57BL/6J mice, these structure-function correlation techniques offer an alternative approach for linking anatomical results to hearing abilities.