Molecular mechanisms underlying ectopic otoconia-like particles in the endolymphatic sac of embryonic mice.

Otoconin-90, the principal otoconial matrix protein, provided a tool to investigate the molecular mechanism of otoconial morphogenesis. The endolymphatic sac of the embryonic chick and guinea pig contain otoconia. Here, we show that the embryonic mouse transiently expresses ectopic otoconia in the endolymphatic sac. Massive precipitate of otoconin-90-positive material is detectable in the lumen of the endolymphatic sac between embryonic day 14.5 and 17.5 with frequent accretion into more heavily staining otoconia-like particles. Otoconin-90 was also localized at the surface and the interior of epithelial cells lining the endolymphatic sac as well as incorporated into free floating cells. In contrast, in situ hybridization failed to detect mRNA in the endolymphatic duct and sac, even though the adjacent nonsensory vestibular structures are heavily stained. Because of ample expression of otoconin-90 protein in the absence of the corresponding mRNA, we conclude that the luminal otoconin-90 is imported via longitudinal flow from the vestibular compartments, where both mRNA and protein are strongly expressed. Because of absence of mRNA, the expression of the corresponding protein by the epithelia lining the endolymphatic sac can only be explained by a resorptive process, as previously proposed on the basis of the movement of luminal macromolecules. The data do not support the previous hypothesis that the transient expression of otoconia-like particles of the endolymphatic sac represents a vestigial phenomenon from the amphibian stage, since amphibia express ample mRNA encoding otoconin-22 in the endolymphatic sac system.

The cochlear F-box protein OCP1 associates with OCP2 and connexin 26.

OCP1 and OCP2 are the most abundant proteins in the organ of Corti. Their distributions map identically to the epithelial gap-junction system, which unites the supporting cell population. Sequence data imply that OCP1 and OCP2 are subunits of an SCF E3 ubiquitin ligase. Consistent with that hypothesis, electrophoretic mobility-shift assays and pull-down assays with immobilized OCP1 demonstrate the formation of an OCP1-OCP2 complex. Sedimentation equilibrium data indicate that the complex is heterodimeric. The coincidence of the OCP1-OCP2 distribution and the epithelial gap-junction system suggests that one or more connexin isoforms may be targets of an SCF(OCP1) complex. Significantly, immobilized OCP1 binds (35)S-labeled connexin 26 (Cx26) produced by in vitro transcription-translation. Moreover, Cx26 can be co-immunoprecipitated from extracts of the organ of Corti by immobilized anti-OCP1, implying that OCP1 and Cx26 may associate in vivo. Given that lesions in the Cx26 gene (GJB2) are the most common cause of hereditary deafness, the OCP1-Cx26 interaction has substantial biomedical relevance.

Toward an understanding of cochlear homeostasis: the impact of location and the role of OCP1 and OCP2.

The central role of the supporting cell population, or epithelial support complex (ESC), in cochlear homeostasis has gained general acceptance. That the details of this role may vary markedly with location, however, remains poorly appreciated. For example, the K+ recirculation pathway may well be dictated by position along the cochlear axis: a perilymphatic route near the apex and a transcellular one near the base. The ESC expresses very high levels of OCP1 and OCP2, now known to be components of a novel, organ of Corti (OC)-specific SCF ubiquitin ligase (SCF(OCP1)). In the SCF(OCP1) cnmplex, OCP1 presumably binds selected protein targets, positioning them for ubiquitination. The recent demonstration that recombinant OCP1 interacts non-covalently with Cx26 suggests that the connexins may be target proteins for SCF(OCP1). Although ubiquitination has classically been viewed as a signal for subsequent destruction by the 26S proteasome, the energy-limited state of the OC prompts consideration of alternative fates, e.g. reversible internalization. The ESC also expresses several components of the Wingless/Wnt signaling pathway. Significantly, two of the gap-junction proteins expressed in the OC, Cx43 and Cx30, are known targets of the Wnt pathway. On the basis of these observations, a working hypothesis is proposed wherein the Wnt pathway activates connexin expression, while OCP1 regulates its degradation.