Cytoskeletal identification of intermediate filaments in the inner ear of the jerker mouse mutant.

The expression of the five main groups of intermediate filaments (IF) and their subgroups, especially cytokeratins, was analysed in cryosections of the labyrinth of the jerker mouse mutant and compared with normal CBA/CBA controls. Fourteen different well characterized monoclonal antibodies were used. In principle the same pattern of IF was found in the two mouse strains. IF were not found in hair cells of the mouse inner ear, which may reflect a disparity as compared with human fetal hair cells. Chain-specific (epitope-specific) differences were visualized in cytokeratin no. 8 with regard to cells in epithelia involved in the homeostasis of inner ear fluids. Differences in immuno-staining occurred between adjacent cells in the same epithelium, for instance in the semicircular canals.