Adv Sci (Weinh)
January 2025
Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are a leading platform for gene therapy. Recently, AAV-mediated gene therapy in the inner ear has progressed from laboratory use to clinical trials, but the lower transduction rates in outer hair cells (OHCs) in the organ of Corti and in vestibular hair cells in adult mice still pose a challenge. OHCs are particularly vulnerable to inner ear insults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOver-production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the inner ear can be triggered by a variety of pathological events identified in animal models after traumatic noise exposure. Our previous research found that inhibition of the AMP-activated protein kinase alpha subunit (AMPKα) protects against noise-induced cochlear hair cell loss and hearing loss by reducing ROS accumulation. However, the molecular pathway through which AMPKα exerts its antioxidative effect is still unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Noise-induced calcium overload in sensory hair cells has been well documented as an early step in the pathogenesis of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Alterations in cellular calcium homeostasis mediate a series of cellular events, including activation of calcium-dependent protein kinases and phosphatases. Using cell-membrane- and blood-brain-barrier-permeable calpain-1 (μ-calpain) and calpain-2 (m-calpain) inhibitor MDL-28170, we tested the involvement of calpains, a family of calcium-dependent cysteine proteases, and the potential of MDL-28170 in preventing NIHL.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Assoc Res Otolaryngol
October 2022
Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are viral vectors that offer an excellent platform for gene therapy due to their safety profile, persistent gene expression in non-dividing cells, target cell specificity, lack of pathogenicity, and low immunogenicity. Recently, gene therapy for genetic hearing loss with AAV transduction has shown promise in animal models. However, AAV transduction for gene silencing or expression to prevent or manage acquired hearing loss is limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinases (CaMKKs) are serine/threonine-directed protein kinases that are activated following increases in intracellular calcium, playing a critical role in neuronal signaling. Inner-ear-trauma-induced calcium overload in sensory hair cells has been well documented in the pathogenesis of traumatic noise-induced hair cell death and hearing loss, but there are no established pharmaceutical therapies available due to a lack of specific therapeutic targets. In this study, we investigated the activation of CaMKKβ in the inner ear after traumatic noise exposure and assessed the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) with RNA silencing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAttenuation of noise-induced hair cell loss and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) by treatment with FK506 (tacrolimus), a calcineurin (CaN/PP2B) inhibitor used clinically as an immunosuppressant, has been previously reported, but the downstream mechanisms of FK506-attenuated NIHL remain unknown. Here we showed that CaN immunolabeling in outer hair cells (OHCs) and nuclear factor of activated T-cells isoform c4 (NFATc4/NFAT3) in OHC nuclei are significantly increased after moderate noise exposure in adult CBA/J mice. Consequently, treatment with FK506 significantly reduces moderate-noise-induced loss of OHCs and NIHL.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe describe the convergent synthesis of a 5-O-β-D-ribofuranosyl-based apramycin derivative (apralog) that displays significantly improved antibacterial activity over the parent apramycin against wild-type ESKAPE pathogens. In addition, the new apralog retains excellent antibacterial activity in the presence of the only aminoglycoside modifying enzyme (AAC(3)-IV) acting on the parent, without incurring susceptibility to the APH(3') mechanism that disables other 5-O-β-D-ribofuranosyl 2-deoxystreptamine type aminoglycosides by phosphorylation at the ribose 5-position. Consistent with this antibacterial activity, the new apralog has excellent 30 nM activity (IC ) for the inhibition of protein synthesis by the bacterial ribosome in a cell-free translation assay, while retaining the excellent across-the-board selectivity of the parent for inhibition of bacterial over eukaryotic ribosomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a well-documented process in noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). We have also previously shown that activation of 5' adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPKα) at its catalytic residue T172 is one of the key reactions triggering noise-induced outer hair cell (OHC) death. In this study, we are addressing the link between ROS formation and activation of AMPKα in OHCs after noise exposure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFApramycin is a structurally unique member of the 2-deoxystreptamine class of aminoglycoside antibiotics characterized by a monosubstituted 2-deoxystreptamine ring that carries an unusual bicyclic eight-carbon dialdose moiety. Because of its unusual structure, apramycin is not susceptible to the most prevalent mechanisms of aminoglycoside resistance including the aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes and the ribosomal methyltransferases whose widespread presence severely compromises all aminoglycosides in current clinical practice. These attributes coupled with minimal ototoxocity in animal models combine to make apramycin an excellent starting point for the development of next-generation aminoglycoside antibiotics for the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, particularly the ESKAPE pathogens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAuditory processing in the cochlea depends on the integrity of the mechanosensory hair cells. Over a lifetime, hearing loss can be acquired from numerous etiologies such as exposure to excessive noise, the use of ototoxic medications, bacterial or viral ear infections, head injuries, and the aging process. Loss of sensory hair cells is a common pathological feature of the varieties of acquired hearing loss.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInherited hearing loss is associated with gene mutations that result in sensory hair cell (HC) malfunction. HC structure is defined by the cytoskeleton, which is mainly composed of actin filaments and actin-binding partners. LIM motif-containing protein kinases (LIMKs) are the primary regulators of actin dynamics and consist of two members: LIMK1 and LIMK2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPosttranslational modification of histones alters their interaction with DNA and nuclear proteins, influencing gene expression and cell fate. In this study, we investigated the effect of G9a (KMT1C, EHMT2), a major histone lysine methyltransferase encoded by the human EHMT2 gene and responsible for histone H3 lysine 9 dimethylation (H3K9me2) on noise-induced permanent hearing loss (NIHL) in adult CBA/J mice. The conditions of noise exposure used in this study led to losses of cochlear synapses and outer hair cells (OHCs) and permanent auditory threshold shifts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMitochondria modulate cellular calcium homeostasis by the combined action of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU), a selective calcium entry channel, and the sodium calcium exchanger (NCLX), which extrudes calcium from mitochondria. In this study, we investigated MCU and NCLX in noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) using adult CBA/J mice and noise-induced alterations of inner hair cell (IHC) synapses in MCU knockout mice. Following noise exposure, immunoreactivity of MCU increased in cochlear sensory hair cells of the basal turn, while immunoreactivity of NCLX decreased in a time- and exposure-dependent manner.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrevious studies have reported that modification of histones alters aminoglycoside-induced hair cell death and hearing loss. In this study, we investigated three FDA-approved histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors (vorinostat/SAHA, belinostat, and panobinostat) as protectants against aminoglycoside-induced ototoxicity in murine cochlear explants and in both guinea pigs and CBA/J mice. Individually, all three HDAC inhibitors reduced gentamicin (GM)-induced hair cell loss in a dose-dependent fashion in explants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAminoglycosides are toxic to sensory hair cells (HCs). Macroautophagy/autophagy is an essential and highly conserved self-digestion pathway that plays important roles in the maintenance of cellular function and viability under stress. However, the role of autophagy in aminoglycoside-induced HC injury is unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExpert Opin Investig Drugs
January 2017
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) due to industrial, military, and recreational noise exposure is a major, but also potentially preventable cause of acquired hearing loss. For the United States it is estimated that 26 million people (15% of the population) between the ages of 20 and 69 have a high-frequency NIHL at a detriment to the quality of life of the affected individuals and great economic cost to society. Areas covered: This review outlines the pathology and pathophysiology of hearing loss as seen in humans and animal models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a major unresolved public health problem. Here, we investigate pathomechanisms of sensory hair cell death and suggest a novel target for protective intervention. Cellular survival depends upon maintenance of energy homeostasis, largely by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Assoc Res Otolaryngol
August 2016
Loss of auditory sensory hair cells is the major pathological feature of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Currently, no established clinical therapies for prevention or amelioration of NIHL are available. The absence of treatments is due to our lack of a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying noise-induced damage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Mechanosensory hair cells (HCs) residing in the inner ear are critical for hearing and balance. Precise coordination of proliferation, sensory specification, and differentiation during development is essential to ensure the correct patterning of HCs in the cochlear and vestibular epithelium. Recent studies have revealed that FGF20 signaling is vital for proper HC differentiation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Assoc Res Otolaryngol
June 2015
The PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is involved in mediating survival of sensory hair cells. Here, we investigated the involvement of PI3K/Akt in noise-induced hearing loss in both temporary and permanent threshold shift noise models. The PI3K regulatory subunit p85α and phosphorylation of Akt on serine 473 (p-Akt S473) are downregulated in sensory hair cells, including both outer and inner hair cells, and supporting cells of the mouse organ of Corti 1 h after exposure to permanent-threshold-shift-inducing noise (PTS noise), but not with temporary-threshold-shift-inducing noise (TTS noise).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntioxid Redox Signal
May 2015
Aims: Reactive oxygen species play a dual role in mediating both cell stress and defense pathways. Here, we used pharmacological manipulations and siRNA silencing to investigate the relationship between autophagy and oxidative stress under conditions of noise-induced temporary, permanent, and severe permanent auditory threshold shifts (temporary threshold shift [TTS], permanent threshold shift [PTS], and severe PTS [sPTS], respectively) in adult CBA/J mice.
Results: Levels of oxidative stress markers (4-hydroxynonenal [4-HNE] and 3-nitrotyrosine [3-NT]) increased in outer hair cells (OHCs) in a noise-dose-dependent manner, whereas levels of the autophagy marker microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 B (LC3B) were sharply elevated after TTS but rose only slightly in response to PTS and were unaltered by sPTS noise.
Our previous work has suggested that traumatic noise activates Rho-GTPase pathways in cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs), resulting in cell death and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). In this study, we investigated Rho effectors, Rho-associated kinases (ROCKs), and the targets of ROCKs, the ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) proteins, in the regulation of the cochlear actin cytoskeleton using adult CBA/J mice under conditions of noise-induced temporary threshold shift (TTS) and permanent threshold shift (PTS) hearing loss, which result in changes to the F/G-actin ratio. The levels of cochlear ROCK2 and p-ERM decreased 1 h after either TTS- or PTS-noise exposure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Assoc Res Otolaryngol
December 2013
Exogenous tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) plays a role in auditory hair cell death by altering the expression of apoptosis-related genes in response to noxious stimuli. Little is known, however, about the function of TNF-α in normal hair cell physiology. We, therefore, investigated the cochlear morphology and auditory function of TNF-α-deficient mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study delineates the role of peroxiredoxin 3 (Prx3) in hair cell death induced by several etiologies of acquired hearing loss (noise trauma, aminoglycoside treatment, age). In vivo, Prx3 transiently increased in mouse cochlear hair cells after traumatic noise exposure, kanamycin treatment, or with progressing age before any cell loss occurred; when Prx3 declined, hair cell loss began. Maintenance of high Prx3 levels via treatment with the radical scavenger 2,3-dihydroxybenzoate prevented kanamycin-induced hair cell death.
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