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. 2017 Sep 11;18(11):2015–2029. doi: 10.15252/embr.201643689

Figure 5. Hair bundles of Lrba‐KO hair cells develop a prominent central gap in their stereociliar array.

Figure 5

  • A–A″
    Representative confocal projections of p15–16 OHC and IHC HBs labeled with a fluorophore‐conjugated phalloidin. While (A) Lrba‐KO OHCs display prominent central gaps, (A′) IHCs display general, but mild, disorganization. (A″) Single confocal planes through stereociliar arrays in close proximity to the respective cuticular plate insertion points in both genotypes. All images are shown with an intensity‐coded lookup table for improved visualization of the fluorescence intensity distribution. Scale bars: 5 μm.
  • B–B″
    SEM images from p2, p7, and p15 animals illustrate the developmental aspect of hair bundle degeneration in Lrba mutant hair cells. Initially, hair bundles develop normally in Lrba‐KO, but increasingly exhibit central gaps (in case of OHCs) and mildly distorted organization (in case of IHCs) from ˜p7. Scale bars: 1.5 μm.
  • C, C′
    FM1‐43FX uptake in response to transient exposure is comparable between p5 wild‐type and Lrba mutant cochlear OHCs and IHCs, indicating functional mechanotransduction in both genotypes (shown are single optical sections through a plane below the OHC cuticular plates). Scale bars: 5 μm.