Utricles were cultured for 24 hr in 10 µM cisplatin and then rinsed and maintained for an additional 48 hr in cisplatin-free medium. Control specimens were maintained in parallel (3 days, total), but did not receive cisplatin. After fixation, specimens were processed for immunohistochemical detection of p-H2AX (green), which identifies cell nuclei that contain double-stranded DNA lesions. Very few p-H2AX-labeled cells were observed in control utricles (A). In contrast, utricles that had received cisplatin treatment contained numerous cells that displayed evidence of DNA damage (B, C, *p<0.0005, t-test). CP=cisplatin-treated. Red: Myosin VIIa. Scale bar=50 µm.