Fig 7. A variety of structural defects in Tur mutant cochlear hair bundles at P21.

Higher magnifications of SEM images showing stereocilia bundles of outer hair cells in wild-type (A), Tur/Tur (B-E) and Tur/+ (F-J) mice. Myo6^Tur/Tur cochleae show formation of multiple clumps of stereocilia within the same cell (split bundles) (B-D), stereocilial fusion bundles (arrow, D), folded stereocilia (E) or other abnormal shapes (generally deformed bundles) (C,E). In Myo6^Tur/+ cochleae (F-J), the stereocilia also appear to be misshapen in the basal turn and loss of hair cells was occasionally observed (arrow in F). However, hair bundle split or degeneration was not apparent. Scale bars: A, 1 μm; B-E,G-J, 2 μm; F, 3 μm.