Gong Shu-Sheng, Yu Dong-Zhen, Wang Ji-Bao
Department of Otolaryngology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
Acta Otolaryngol. 2002 Jan;122(1):5-9. doi: 10.1080/00016480252775652.
Crude inner ear antigen (CIEAg) can induce autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED) although it is not known which subcomponent of CIEAg is involved. In this study, we investigated the relationship between 3 purified inner ear antigens (31, 42-45 and 60 kD proteins) and AIED, and determined their distribution in normal guinea pig cochlea. Three groups of guinea pigs were immunized with the three inner ear antigens and one group served as a control. The hearing thresholds, serum IgG level and morphological changes in the inner ear were observed. The expression of the three antigens in the cochlea was detected using immunohistochemical techniques. No obvious changes in hearing thresholds or inner ear morphology were observed between the control and 42-45 kD groups. Animals immunized with the 31 or 60 kD proteins showed a significant increase in hearing thresholds (p < 0.05 vs control), accompanied by morphological changes in the inner ear. The serum IgG level was increased significantly (p < 0.05) in all immunized animals. The 31 kD protein was distributed in the cochlear nerve and spiral ganglion, while the 42-45 and 60 kD proteins were distributed widely, being found in the spiral ganglion, organ of Corti, stria vascularis and spiral ligament. These results suggest that two subcomponents of CIEAg (the 31 and 60 kD proteins) may induce AIED independently, that several inner ear antigens may contribute to the pathogenesis of AIED and that the 31 kD protein is of high tissue specificity and may be used as a marker protein for the clinical diagnosis of AIED.
粗制内耳抗原（CIEAg）可诱发自身免疫性内耳疾病（AIED），尽管尚不清楚CIEAg的哪个亚组分与之相关。在本研究中，我们调查了3种纯化的内耳抗原（31、42 - 45和60 kD蛋白）与AIED之间的关系，并确定了它们在正常豚鼠耳蜗中的分布。将三组豚鼠分别用这三种内耳抗原进行免疫，一组作为对照。观察了听力阈值、血清IgG水平及内耳的形态学变化。采用免疫组化技术检测了这三种抗原在耳蜗中的表达。对照和42 - 45 kD组之间未观察到听力阈值或内耳形态有明显变化。用31或60 kD蛋白免疫的动物听力阈值显著升高（与对照组相比，p < 0.05），同时伴有内耳形态学改变。所有免疫动物的血清IgG水平均显著升高（p < 0.05）。31 kD蛋白分布于蜗神经和螺旋神经节，而42 - 45和60 kD蛋白分布广泛，见于螺旋神经节、柯蒂器、血管纹和螺旋韧带。这些结果表明，CIEAg的两个亚组分（31和60 kD蛋白）可能独立诱发AIED，几种内耳抗原可能参与AIED的发病机制，且31 kD蛋白具有较高的组织特异性，可作为AIED临床诊断的标记蛋白。
