Putative role of border cells in generating spontaneous morphological activity within Kölliker's organ.

Putative role of border cells in generating spontaneous morphological activity within Kölliker's organ.
Hear Res. 2015 Jun 26;
Authors: Nishani Dayaratne MW, Vlajkovic SM, Lipski J, Thorne PR
Abstract
Kölliker's organ is a transient epithelial structure, comprising a major part of the organ of Corti during pre-hearing stages of development. The auditory system is spontaneously active during development, which serves to retain and refine neural connections. Kölliker's organ is considered a key candidate for generating such spontaneous activity, most likely through purinergic (P2 receptor) signalling and inner hair cell (IHC) activation. Associated with the spontaneous neural activity, ATP released locally by epithelial cells induces rhythmic morphological changes within Kölliker's organ, the purpose of which is not understood. These changes are accompanied by a shift in cellular refractive index, allowing optical detection of this activity in real-time. Using this principle, we investigated the origin of spontaneous morphological activity within Kölliker's organ. Apical turns of Wistar rat cochleae (P9-11) were dissected, and the purinergic involvement was studied following acute tissue exposure to a P2 receptor agonist (ATPγS) and antagonist (suramin). ATPγS induced a sustained darkening throughout Kölliker's organ, reversed by suramin. This effect was most pronounced in the region closest to the inner hair cells, which also ...

Source: Hearing Research - June 26, 2015 Category: Audiology Authors: Nishani Dayaratne MW, Vlajkovic SM, Lipski J, Thorne PR Tags: Hear Res Source Type: research