| First Author | Karmakar K | Year | 2017 |
| Journal | Cell Rep | Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 185-197 |
| PubMed ID | 28052248 | Mgi Jnum | J:251119 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6103105 | Doi | 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.12.021 |
| Citation | Karmakar K, et al. (2017) Hox2 Genes Are Required for Tonotopic Map Precision and Sound Discrimination in the Mouse Auditory Brainstem. Cell Rep 18(1):185-197 |
| abstractText | Tonotopy is a hallmark of auditory pathways and provides the basis for sound discrimination. Little is known about the involvement of transcription factors in brainstem cochlear neurons orchestrating the tonotopic precision of pre-synaptic input. We found that in the absence of Hoxa2 and Hoxb2 function in Atoh1-derived glutamatergic bushy cells of the anterior ventral cochlear nucleus, broad input topography and sound transmission were largely preserved. However, fine-scale synaptic refinement and sharpening of isofrequency bands of cochlear neuron activation upon pure tone stimulation were impaired in Hox2 mutants, resulting in defective sound-frequency discrimination in behavioral tests. These results establish a role for Hox factors in tonotopic refinement of connectivity and in ensuring the precision of sound transmission in the mammalian auditory circuit. |
