Function of bidirectional sensitivity in the otolith organs established by transcription factor Emx2
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Otolith organs of the inner ear are innervated by two parallel afferent projections to the brainstem and cerebellum. These innervations were proposed to segregate across the line of polarity reversal (LPR) within each otolith organ, which divides the organ into two regions of hair cells (HC) with opposite stereociliary orientation. The relationship and functional significance of these anatomical features are not known. Here, we show regional expression of Emx2 in otolith organs, which establishes LPR, mediates the neuronal segregation across LPR and constitutes the bidirectional sensitivity function. Conditional knockout (cKO) of Emx2 in HCs lacks LPR. Tmie cKO, in which mechanotransduction was abolished selectively in HCs within the Emx2 expression domain also lacks bidirectional sensitivity. Analyses of both mutants indicate that LPR is specifically required for mice to swim comfortably and to traverse a balance beam efficiently, but LPR is not required for mice to stay on a rotating rod.
Source: Nature Communications
Institutions: National Institutes of Health, Korea Brain Research Institute, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, Kyoto University Hospital, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Fudan University, Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, University of Iowa, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Language: English
Subfield: Neurology
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,890
Awards: G3674185944, G3933881874, G4285463093, G431647794, Mechanism and Functional Significance of Polarity Reversal in Mechanosensory Organs, G8363626767, A Neural Systems Approach to Understanding the Dynamic Computations Underlying our Sense of Direction, Molecular Basis For The Morphogenesis Of The Inner Ear, Neural Computations Underlying Cancellation of the Vestibular Consequences of Voluntary Movement, Mouse Auditory Testing Core Facility, The Physiology of Vestibular Compensation, Mechanisms of Growth Factor Responsiveness in the Aging Auditory System, G97785782
OpenAlex ID: W4307386023