Bullen Anwen, West Timothy, Moores Carolyn, Ashmore Jonathan, Fleck Roland A, MacLellan-Gibson Kirsty, Forge Andrew
Centre for Auditory Research, UCL Ear Institute, London WC1X 8EE, UK
Centre for Auditory Research, UCL Ear Institute, London WC1X 8EE, UK.
J Cell Sci. 2015 Jul 15;128(14):2529-40. doi: 10.1242/jcs.170761. Epub 2015 Jun 4.
The ways in which cell architecture is modelled to meet cell function is a poorly understood facet of cell biology. To address this question, we have studied the cytoarchitecture of a cell with highly specialised organisation, the cochlear inner hair cell (IHC), using multiple hierarchies of three-dimensional (3D) electron microscopy analyses. We show that synaptic terminal distribution on the IHC surface correlates with cell shape, and the distribution of a highly organised network of membranes and mitochondria encompassing the infranuclear region of the cell. This network is juxtaposed to a population of small vesicles, which represents a potential new source of neurotransmitter vesicles for replenishment of the synapses. Structural linkages between organelles that underlie this organisation were identified by high-resolution imaging. Taken together, these results describe a cell-encompassing network of membranes and mitochondria present in IHCs that support efficient coding and transmission of auditory signals. Such techniques also have the potential for clarifying functionally specialised cytoarchitecture of other cell types.
细胞结构如何被塑造以满足细胞功能,这是细胞生物学中一个尚未被充分理解的方面。为了解决这个问题,我们使用三维(3D)电子显微镜分析的多个层次,研究了具有高度特化组织的细胞——耳蜗内毛细胞(IHC)的细胞结构。我们发现,IHC表面的突触终末分布与细胞形状相关,并且与围绕细胞核下区域的高度组织化的膜和线粒体网络的分布相关。这个网络与一群小泡并列,这些小泡代表了用于补充突触的神经递质小泡的潜在新来源。通过高分辨率成像确定了构成这种组织的细胞器之间的结构联系。综上所述,这些结果描述了IHC中存在的一个涵盖细胞的膜和线粒体网络,该网络支持听觉信号的高效编码和传递。此类技术也有可能阐明其他细胞类型的功能特化细胞结构。