title: Specific expression of Gsta4 in mouse cochlear melanocytes: a novel role for hearing and melanocyte differentiation.
abstract: Mammalian pigment cells produce melanin as the main pigment. Melanocytes, one of the two types of mammalian pigment cells, differentiate from the neural crest and migrate to a variety of organs during development. Melanocytes exist not only in the skin but also in other sites such as the cochlea where they are essential for hearing. Mitf(mi-bw) is one of the known recessive alleles of the mouse microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (Mitf) locus, which is essential for the development of pigment cells. Homozygous Mitf(mi-bw)/Mitf(mi-bw) mice have a completely white coat with black eyes and are deaf due to the lack of melanocytes. By comparing gene expression profiles in cochleae of wild-type and Mitf(mi-bw)/Mitf(mi-bw) mice, we now demonstrate the specific expression of glutathione S-transferase alpha 4 (Gsta4) in the stria vascularis. Gsta4 encodes one of the cytosolic glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) which participate in detoxification processes of many tissues. This gene is specifically expressed in intermediate cells of the stria vascularis, suggesting a novel function for cochlear melanocytes. Moreover, among mammalian pigment cells, expression of Gsta4 was restricted to cochlear melanocytes, suggesting that melanocytes in various tissues differentiate from one another depending on their location.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Biology and Neurosciences, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeyuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uehara
authors.forename: Yoshiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Izumi
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kubo
authors.forename: Chi Chiu
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mineta
authors.forename: Kazuho
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikeo
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gojobori
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tachibana
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Toshimitsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shibahara
authors.forename: Choji
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Taya
authors.forename: Hiromichi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yonekawa
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shiroishi
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003051:Cochlea / Q000166:cytology*; D003600:Cytosol / Q000201:enzymology; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology*; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D051739:Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor / Q000502:physiology*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D015347:RNA Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013316:Stria Vascularis / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D051739:Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor; C497235:Mitf protein, mouse; D015347:RNA Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; C119995:glutathione S-transferase alpha