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Cytoarchitecture of the Mouse Organ of Corti from Base to Apex, Determined Using In Situ Two-Photon Imaging

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ABSTRACT

The cells in the organ of Corti are highly organized, with a precise 3D microstructure hypothesized to be important for cochlear function. Here we provide quantitative data on the mouse organ of Corti cytoarchitecture, as determined using a new technique that combines the imaging capabilities of two-photon microscopy with the autofluorescent cell membranes of the genetically modified mTmG mouse. This combination allowed us to perform in situ imaging on freshly excised tissue, thus minimizing any physical distortions to the tissue that extraction from the cochlea and chemical fixation and staining might have caused. 3D image stacks of the organ of Corti were obtained from base to apex in the cochlear duct, from which 3D lengths and relative angles for inner and outer hair cells, Deiters’ cells, phalangeal processes, and inner and outer pillars were measured. In addition, intercellular distances, diameters, and stereocilia shapes were obtained. An important feature of this study is the quantitative reporting of the longitudinal tilts of the outer hair cells towards the base of the cochlea, the tilt of phalangeal processes towards the apex, and Deiters’ cells that collectively form a Y-shaped building block that is thought to give rise to the lattice-like organization of the organ of Corti. The variations of this Y-shaped element along the cochlear duct and between the rows of outer hair cells are shown with the third row morphologically different from the other rows, and their potential importance for the cochlear amplifier is discussed.

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Abbreviations

BM:

Basilar membrane

DC:

Deiters’ cell

IP:

Inner pillar

IHC:

Inner hair cell

OHC:

Outer hair cell

OoC:

Organ of Corti

OP:

Outer pillar

PhP:

Phalangeal process

RL:

Reticular lamina

TM:

Tectorial membrane

ToC:

Tunnel of Corti

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank M. C. Liberman for helpful discussions and J. Buytaert for sharing the μCT scans of the mouse cochlea. This research was funded by NIH NIDCD grants R01 DC007910 (to SP), R01 DC003896 (to AJR), Core Grant P30 44992, and shared instrumentation grant NIH S10RR027267-01 as well as Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) and Belgian American Educational Foundation (BAEF) grants (to JS).

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, 496 Lomita Mall, Durand Building, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Joris A. M. Soons, Charles R. Steele & Sunil Puria

  2. Laboratory of Biomedical Physics, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171 U335, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium

    Joris A. M. Soons

  3. Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, 801 Welch Road, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Anthony J. Ricci & Sunil Puria

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  1. Joris A. M. Soons
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  2. Anthony J. Ricci
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Correspondence to Joris A. M. Soons.

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Soons, J.A.M., Ricci, A.J., Steele, C.R. et al. Cytoarchitecture of the Mouse Organ of Corti from Base to Apex, Determined Using In Situ Two-Photon Imaging. JARO 16, 47–66 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10162-014-0497-1

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