Characteristics of spatial protein expression in the mouse cochlear sensory epithelia: Implications for age-related hearing loss

In this study, we employed a microscale proteomics approach to examine and compare protein expression in different regions of the cochlear sensory epithelia (upper half and lower half) in 1.5-month-old (normal hearing) and 6-month-old (severe high-frequency hearing loss without hair cell loss) C57BL/6J mice. A total of 2,386 proteins were detected, and no significant differences in protein expression were detected in the upper half of the cochlear sensory epithelia between the two age groups. The expression of 20 proteins in the lower half of the cochlear sensory epithelia significantly differed between the two age groups (e.g., MATN1, MATN4, and AQP1). Moreover, there were 311 and 226 differentially expressed proteins between the upper and lower halves of the cochlear sensory epithelia in 1.5-month-old and 6-month-old mice, respectively. The expression levels of selected proteins were validated by Western blotting. These findings suggest that the spatial differences in protein expression within the cochlear sensory epithelia may play a role in determining the susceptibility of cells at different sites of the cochlea to age-related damage.PMID:38583350 | DOI:10.1016/j.heares.2024.109006

Source: Hearing Research - April 7, 2024 Category: Audiology Authors: Huilin Lao Yafeng Zhu Mei Yang Lingshuo Wang Jie Tang Hao Xiong Source Type: research