| First Author | Whitlon DS | Year | 1992 |
| Journal | Hered Deaf News | Volume | 8 |
| Pages | 10 (Abstr.) | Mgi Jnum | J:1516 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:50043 | Citation | Whitlon DS (1992) Uvomorulin (E-Cadherin) in the cochlea of the developing mouse. Hered Deaf News 8:10 (Abstr.) |
| abstractText | Full text of Abstract: MADISON. Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53705. USA. D.S. Whitlon. Uvomorulin (E-Cadherin) in the cochlea of the developing mouse. Cadherins are a family of transmembrane glycoproteins that mediate calcium dependent cell-cell adhesion. It has been suggested [Takeichi, Development 102: 639-655 (1988)] that in development, the up- or down-regulation of cadherin expression might be involved in the association or disassociation of different cell layers. One cadherin, uvomorulin (also known as E-cadherin) has been implicated in mechanisms underlying the compaction of pre-implantation embryos and in other adhesive interactions in embryonic and adult tissues. The chick equivalent of uvomorulin, LCAM, is thought to play a role in feather morphogenesis and in in vitro cell-sorting out. The distribution of uvomorulin was studied in the organ of Corti by immunocyto-chemistry in order to make predictions about the molecule's developmental role. Cochleas from ages E15, P1-3, P5-7, P11, and P20 HA/ICR mice were stained as whole mounts using a monoclonal antibody against uvomorulin (DECMA-1, Sigma). Over the time period studied, only pillar cells, outer hair cells and their adjacent Deiter cell processes were uromorulin-positive. Inner hair cells were unstained. Nerve fibers were also negative. At El5, only cells in the outer hair cell region expressed uvomorulin. By P2, pillar cells were also positive. During the next few days, the hair cell region became less intensely stained as the pillar cells became more immunoreactive. By P11, no cells in the outer hair cell region were outlined by immunoreactivity. The tightly apposed heads of the pillar cells and the junctions at the tops of outer hair and Deiter cells were the only uvomorulin-positive structures in the organ. In summary: In the E15-P20 mouse organ of Corti, only the cells destined to develop adjacent fluid spaces (hair cells, Deiter cells and pillar cells) express uvomorulin. Uvomorulin disappears on hair and Deiter cells at the time in development when fluid spaces between the cells are opening. Fluid spaces do not open around inner hair cells which are always uvomorulin-negative. These data suggest that uvomorulin may help mediate pillar cell-pillar cell and hair cell-Deiter cell adhesion and raise the possibility that the down regulation of uvomorulin may aid in the opening of fluid spaces in the organ of Corti. (Supported by NIDCD grant #DC00653). |
