Molecular mechanisms underlying ectopic otoconia-like particles in the endolymphatic sac of embryonic mice.

Otoconin-90, the principal otoconial matrix protein, provided a tool to investigate the molecular mechanism of otoconial morphogenesis. The endolymphatic sac of the embryonic chick and guinea pig contain otoconia. Here, we show that the embryonic mouse transiently expresses ectopic otoconia in the endolymphatic sac.

The cochlear F-box protein OCP1 associates with OCP2 and connexin 26.

OCP1 and OCP2 are the most abundant proteins in the organ of Corti. Their distributions map identically to the epithelial gap-junction system, which unites the supporting cell population. Sequence data imply that OCP1 and OCP2 are subunits of an SCF E3 ubiquitin ligase.

Toward an understanding of cochlear homeostasis: the impact of location and the role of OCP1 and OCP2.

The central role of the supporting cell population, or epithelial support complex (ESC), in cochlear homeostasis has gained general acceptance. That the details of this role may vary markedly with location, however, remains poorly appreciated. For example, the K+ recirculation pathway may well be dictated by position along the cochlear axis: a perilymphatic route near the apex and a transcellular one near the base.