Brain-Specific Angiogenesis Inhibitor 3 Is Expressed in the Cochlea and Is Necessary for Hearing Function in Mice.

Mammalian auditory hair cells transduce sound-evoked traveling waves in the cochlea into nerve stimuli, which are essential for hearing function. Pillar cells located between the inner and outer hair cells are involved in the formation of the tunnel of Corti, which incorporates outer-hair-cell-driven fluid oscillation and basilar membrane movement, leading to the fine-tuned frequency-specific perception of sounds by the inner hair cells. However, the detailed molecular mechanism underlying the development and maintenance of pillar cells remains to be elucidated. In this study, we examined the expression and function of brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 3 (Bai3), an adhesion G-protein-coupled receptor, in the cochlea. We found that Bai3 was expressed in hair cells in neonatal mice and pillar cells in adult mice, and, interestingly, Bai3 knockout mice revealed the abnormal formation of pillar cells, with the elevation of the hearing threshold in a frequency-dependent manner. Furthermore, old Bai3 knockout mice showed the degeneration of hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons in the basal turn. The results suggest that Bai3 plays a crucial role in the development and/or maintenance of pillar cells, which, in turn, are necessary for normal hearing function. Our results may contribute to understanding the mechanisms of hearing loss in human patients.

The Significance of CD109 Expression in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Up-regulation of CD109 occurs in malignant tumours, although its role is unknown. Here we aimed to evaluate the significance of CD109 expression in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to assess CD109 expression in 169 patients with OPSCC. We assessed the effects of small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated inhibition of CD109 expression on the proliferation and invasiveness of the human papillomavirus 16-positive (HPV16+) head and neck SCC cell line UM-SCC-47. RESULTS: Expression of CD109 was associated with higher tumour differentiation in p16+ OPSCC (p=0.0036), and the CD109+ subgroup experienced significantly shorter progression-free survival (p=0.03). UM-SCC-47 cells with siRNA-mediated inhibition of CD109 expression showed reduced invasiveness (p=0.07). CONCLUSION: CD109 expression is associated with poor prognosis of HPV16+ OPSCCs.

Inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway suppresses tracheal stenosis in a novel mouse model.

Tracheal stenosis is a refractory and recurrent disease induced by excessive cell proliferation within the restricted tracheal space. We investigated the role of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), which mediates a broad range of intracellular signal transduction processes in tracheal stenosis and the therapeutic effect of the MEK inhibitor which is the upstream kinase of ERK. We histologically analyzed cauterized tracheas to evaluate stenosis using a tracheal stenosis mouse model. Using Western blot, we analyzed the phosphorylation rate of ERK1/2 after cauterization with or without MEK inhibitor. MEK inhibitor was intraperitoneally injected 30 min prior to cauterization (single treatment) or 30 min prior to and 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after cauterization (daily treatment). We compared the stenosis of non-inhibitor treatment, single treatment, and daily treatment group. We successfully established a novel mouse model of tracheal stenosis. The cauterized trachea increased the rate of stenosis compared with the normal control trachea. The phosphorylation rate of ERK1 and ERK2 was significantly increased at 5 min after the cauterization compared with the normal controls. After 5 min, the rates decreased over time. The daily treatment group had suppressed stenosis compared with the non-inhibitor treatment group. p-ERK1/2 activation after cauterization could play an important role in the tracheal wound healing process. Consecutive inhibition of ERK phosphorylation is a potentially useful therapeutic strategy for tracheal stenosis.

Decreasing auditory input induces neurogenesis impairment in the hippocampus.

Hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline and dementia risk. Sensorineural hearing loss suppresses hippocampal neurogenesis, resulting in cognitive decline. However, the underlying mechanism of impaired neurogenesis and the role of microglial activation and stress responses related to hearing loss in the hippocampus remains unknown. Using a conductive hearing loss (CHL) model, we investigated whether a decrease in sound level could induce impairment of hippocampal neurogenesis and examined the differences between unilateral CHL (uCHL) and bilateral CHL (bCHL). To establish the CHL mouse model, ears were unilaterally or bilaterally occluded for five weeks by auditory canal ligation. Although hearing thresholds were significantly increased following CHL, CHL mice exhibited no significant loss of spiral ganglion or hippocampal neurons. Hippocampal neurogenesis was significantly and equally decreased in both sides following uCHL. More severe decreases in hippocampal neurogenesis were observed in both sides in bCHL mice compared with that in uCHL mice. Furthermore, microglial invasion significantly increased following CHL. Serum cortisol levels, which indicate stress response, significantly increased following bCHL. Therefore, auditory deprivation could lead to increased microglial invasion and stress responses and might be a risk factor for hippocampal neurogenesis impairment.

Activity-Dependent Neurodegeneration and Neuroplasticity of Auditory Neurons Following Conductive Hearing Loss in Adult Mice.

We examined the functional and structural changes of auditory neurons (ANs) in adult mice after conductive hearing loss (CHL). Earplugs (EPs) were bilaterally inserted in male 8-week-old mice for 4 weeks [EP(+) group] and subsequently removed for 4 weeks [EP(+/-) group]. We examined the control mice [EP(-) group] with no EPs inserted at 12 weeks. The auditory brainstem response (ABR) was measured to determine the cochlear function before and after EP insertion, after EP removal, and at 4 weeks following EP removal. We examined the cochleae for hair cell (HC) and spiral ganglion neuron survival, synaptic and neural properties, and AN myelination. There was a significant elevation of the ABR threshold across all tested frequencies after EP insertion. After removing the occlusion, these threshold shifts were fully recovered. Compared with the EP(-) mice, the EP(+) mice showed a significant decrease in the ABR peak 1 amplitude and a significantly prolonged latency at all tested frequencies. There was no significant effect of auditory deprivation on the survival of HCs and ANs. Conversely, auditory deprivation caused significant damage to the synapses and myelin and a significant decrease in the AN size. Although functional changes in the ABR amplitude and latency did not fully recover in the EP(+/-) mice, almost all anatomical changes were fully recovered in the EP(+/-) mice; however, cochlear synapses only showed partial recovery. These results suggest that auditory activities are required to maintain peripheral auditory synapses and myelination in adults. The auditory deprivation model allows for assessment of the mechanisms of synaptopathy and demyelination in the auditory periphery, and synaptic and myelin regeneration in sensorineural hearing loss.

Transient Conductive Hearing Loss Regulates Cross-Modal VGLUT Expression in the Cochlear Nucleus of C57BL/6 Mice.

Auditory nerve fibers synapse onto the cochlear nucleus (CN) and are labeled using the vesicular glutamate transporter-1 (VGLUT-1), whereas non-auditory inputs are labeled using the VGLUT-2. However, the underlying regulatory mechanism of VGLUT expression in the CN remains unknown. We examined whether a sound level decrease, without primary neural damage, induces cellular and VGLUT expression change in the CN, and examined the potential for neural plasticity of the CN using unilateral conductive hearing loss models. We inserted earplugs in 8-week-old mice unilaterally for 4 weeks and subsequently removed them for another 4 weeks. Although the threshold of an auditory brainstem response significantly increased across all tested frequencies following earplug insertion, it completely recovered after earplug removal. Auditory deprivation had no significant impact on spiral ganglion and ventral CN (VCN) neurons' survival. Conversely, although the cell size and VGLUT-1 expression in the VCN significantly decreased after earplug insertion, VGLUT-2 expression in the granule cell lamina significantly increased. These cell sizes decreased and the alterations in VGLUT-1 and -2 expression almost completely recovered at 1 month after earplug removal. Our results suggested that the cell size and VGLUT expression in the CN have a neuroplasticity capacity, which is regulated by increases and decreases in sound levels. Restoration of the sound levels might partly prevent cell size decrease and maintain VGLUT expression in the CN.

Skin irritation to glass wool or continuous glass filaments as observed by a patch test among human Japanese volunteers.

Glass wool and continuous glass filaments have been used in industry. We examined the irritability of those among Japanese. A patch test was performed on 43 volunteers for the followings: glass wool for non-residential use with and without a urea-modified phenolic resin binder, that for residential use with and without the binder, and continuous glass filaments with diameters of 4, 7, 9, and 13 µm. Materials were applied to an upper arm of each volunteer for 24 h. The skin was observed at 1 and 24 h after the removal. At 1 h after removal, slight erythema was observed on the skin of a woman after the exposure to glass wool for residential use without the binder. Erythema was observed on the skin of another woman at 1 h after a 24-h exposure to glass wool for non-residential use without the binder. There were no reactions at 24 h after the removal. The low reactions in the patch test suggested that the irritability caused by glass wool, irrespective of a resin component, could be induced mechanically, and that the irritability caused by continuous glass filaments with resin could be slight and either mechanical or chemical.