Fig. 6. Ultrastructural analysis of the organ of Corti in 5-month-old DIA1-TG mice by transmission electron microscopy.
Five-month-old WT (a–g) and DIA1TG/TG (TG) (h–n) mice were fixed for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). a, h SEM images of OHCs and supporting cells (SCs). OHC loss (dots) and abnormal, such as short and sparse (arrows), stereocilia in TG mice. b, i Peripheral nerves at the osseous spiral lamina at the basal turn of the cochlea in WT (b) and TG mice (i). c–g, j–n High magnification views of ultrathin section of OHCs at the distal portion of the middle turn (close to the basal turn) of the cochlea by TEM. Magnification views of apical junctional complexes (AJCs) and cuticular plates of OHCs in WT (c) and TG (j) mice were shown in d–g and k–n, respectively. Note the hazy (arrows in k–m), ruffled peri-junctional actin belts (arrows in n) and cuticular plates (double arrow in n) of OHCs in TG mice, compared to smooth actin belts (dotted lines) in WT mice (d–g). Asterisk and double asterisks indicate the same OHCs, respectively. Scale bar: 5 μm (a, h), 2 μm (b, c, i, j), and 500 nm (d–g, k–n).