1. Prox1CreERT2 expression pattern in the organ of Corti revealed by the Ai14 (Rosa26-CAG-loxP-stop-loxP-tdTomato) reporter.
Prox1CreERT2 expression pattern in the organ of Corti revealed by the Ai14 (Rosa26-CAG-loxP-stop-loxP-tdTomato) reporter. A, Scheme of a cochlear cross section showing the relative position of HCs and SCs within the organ of Corti. The wild-type, mature organ of Corti has one row of inner HCs (IHC) and three rows of outer HCs (OHC) separated by one row of inner PCs and one row of outer PCs that form the tunnel of Corti (ToC). Deiters' cells connect the OHCs to the basilar membrane and extend phalanges to the reticular lamina reaching 2–3 OHCs away and leaving spaces around them (spaces of Nuel). Inner phalangeal cells surround the inner HCs. Hensen cells contact DCs at the lateral edge of the organ of Corti. Cell nuclei are depicted as blue circles and show that PC and DC nuclei are beneath HC nuclei. B, Representative optical sections taken at low magnification from the apical and basal halves of a Prox1Ai14 cochlea at P7 showing Tomato (red) expression in cochlear SCs along the turn. Scale bars, 100 μm. C, Representative optical sections of apical and basal regions of the cochleae of Prox1Ai14 mice at P7 using a higher magnification showing Tomato+ PCs and DCs. Scale bars, 10 μm. D, Quantification of Tomato+ SCs as a percentage of the total number of cells for each specific type. Statistical differences in the percentage of cells labeled between turns were determined by a two-way ANOVA followed by Student's t test with Bonferroni correction (***p < 0.001, N = 3). There are no significant differences in the percentages of labeled cells between apex and middle for outer PCs and DCs. IPC, inner PC; OPC, outer PC; DC1–3, Deiters' cells from rows 1–3 with row 1 being the closest to the inner HCs.
Marcia M. Mellado Lagarde et al. J. Neurosci. 2013;33:
©2013 by Society for Neuroscience