Impaired stria vascularis in the inner ear of apolipoprotein E gene knockout mice.
OBJECTIVE
To study apoptotic cell death, the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and the capillary density in the cochleae of apolipoprotein E gene knockout (ApoE KO) mice.


METHODS
Cochleae of ApoE KO mice were stained by HE, anti-caspase-3 and anti-eNOS antibodies and TUNEL (in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin end labeling). Capillary density was measured in the stria vascularis and in the modiolus.


RESULTS
Apoptotic cell death was found in the stria vascularis of ApoE KO mice, but not in the organ of Corti. The expression of eNOS and the capillary density were decreased in the stria vascularis and in the modiolus of ApoE KO mice.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that cells in the inner ear of ApoE KO mice take different pathways to undergo cell death, and apoptotic cell death is only involved in the stria vascularis. These pathological changes may play a role in the hearing loss that has been found in ApoE KO mice.
Zhu
Shanshan
S
Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, PR China.
Du
Xiaoping
X
Cai
Qing
Q
Guo
Yunkai
Y
Liu
Li
L
Cheng
Weihua
W
Tao
Zezhang
Z
Yoo
Taijune
T
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D016923:Cell Death / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D003051:Cochlea / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*; D009925:Organ of Corti / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D011336:Probability; D011897:Random Allocation; D012016:Reference Values; D013045:Species Specificity; D013316:Stria Vascularis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D053148:Caspase 3