Comprehensive analysis of alternative splicing variants identified from tonotopical differences in the mouse cochlea

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25670715
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Otorhinolaryngology
• Research Institution: Shinshu University
• Principal Investigator: YOSHIMURA Hidekane 信州大学, 医学部, 助教(特定雇用) (10612997)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): NISHIO Shin-ya 信州大学, 学術研究院医学系, 助教 (70467166) ; USAMI Shin-ichi 信州大学, 学術研究院医学系, 教授 (10184996)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 内耳 / 遺伝子発現 / 難聴

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The mammalian cochlea is a spiral shaped auditory sensing organ, with the mouse cochlea forming 2.5 turns around its axis. This cochlear structure has an important role in the mechanism for distinguishing pitch (sound frequency). This mechanism were based on the synchronized vibration of the basilar membrane is thought to be caused by differences in the thickness and width of the basilar membrane. In this study, we performed exon level gene expression analysis using the previous cDNA microarray data to identify alternative splicing variants in specific regions of the cochlea. As a result, we identified cochlear turn specific alternative splicing variants in Otog, Strc, Tectb and Slc26a4 genes. This dataset will provide a valuable base for understanding the detailed mechanisms not only for specific frequency deterioration in cases of hearing loss but also those for normal hearing.

Free Research Field

耳鼻咽喉科学