title: Patch clamp recordings in inner ear hair cells isolated from zebrafish.
abstract: Patch clamp analyses of the voltage-gated channels in sensory hair cells isolated from a variety of species have been described previously(1-4) but this video represents the first application of those techniques to hair cells from zebrafish. Here we demonstrate a method to isolate healthy, intact hair cells from all of the inner ear end-organs: saccule, lagena, utricle and semicircular canals. Further, we demonstrate the diversity in hair cell size and morphology and give an example of the kinds of patch clamp recordings that can be obtained. The advantage of the use of this zebrafish model system over others stems from the availability of zebrafish mutants that affect both hearing and balance. In combination with the use of transgenic lines and other techniques that utilize genetic analysis and manipulation, the cell isolation and electrophysiological methods introduced here should facilitate greater insight into the roles hair cells play in mediating these sensory modalities.
authors.affiliation: Natural Science Division, Pepperdine University, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Einarsson
authors.forename: Marshall
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haden
authors.forename: Gabrielle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Diciolli
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Kolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mah-Ginn
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aguilar
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yazejian
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yazejian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D007758:Ear, Inner / Q000502:physiology*; D006199:Hair Cells, Auditory, Inner / Q000502:physiology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D015027:Zebrafish