Abbott Ana C, García Isaac E, Villanelo Felipe, Flores-Muñoz Carolina, Ceriani Ricardo, Maripillán Jaime, Novoa-Molina Joel, Figueroa-Cares Cindel, Pérez-Acle Tomas, Sáez Juan C, Sánchez Helmuth A, Martínez Agustín D
Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias de Valparaíso, Instituto de Neurociencia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.
Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Agronomía, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad de las Américas, Viña del Mar, Chile.
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2023 Jan 9;10:1071202. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1071202. eCollection 2022.
Some mutations in gap junction protein Connexin 26 (Cx26) lead to syndromic deafness, where hearing impairment is associated with skin disease, like in Keratitis Ichthyosis Deafness (KID) syndrome. This condition has been linked to hyperactivity of connexin hemichannels but this has never been demonstrated in cochlear tissue. Moreover, some KID mutants, like Cx26S17F, form hyperactive HCs only when co-expressed with other wild-type connexins. In this work, we evaluated the functional consequences of expressing a KID syndromic mutation, Cx26S17F, in the transgenic mouse cochlea and whether co-expression of Cx26S17F and Cx30 leads to the formation of hyperactive HCs. Indeed, we found that cochlear explants from a constitutive knock-in Cx26S17F mouse or conditional cochlear expression of Cx26S17F produces hyperactive HCs in supporting cells of the organ of Corti. These conditions also produce loss of hair cells stereocilia. In supporting cells, we found high co-localization between Cx26S17F and Cx30. The functional properties of HCs formed in cells co-expressing Cx26S17F and Cx30 were also studied in oocytes and HeLa cells. Under the recording conditions used in this study Cx26S17F did not form functional HCs and GJCs, but cells co-expressing Cx26S17F and Cx30 present hyperactive HCs insensitive to HCs blockers, Ca and La, resulting in more Ca influx and cellular damage. Molecular dynamic analysis of putative heteromeric HC formed by Cx26S17F and Cx30 presents alterations in extracellular Ca binding sites. These results support that in KID syndrome, hyperactive HCs are formed by the interaction between Cx26S17F and Cx30 in supporting cells probably causing damage to hair cells associated to deafness.
缝隙连接蛋白连接蛋白26(Cx26)中的一些突变会导致综合征性耳聋,即听力障碍与皮肤病相关,如在角膜炎鱼鳞病耳聋(KID)综合征中。这种情况与连接蛋白半通道的过度活跃有关,但从未在耳蜗组织中得到证实。此外,一些KID突变体,如Cx26S17F,只有在与其他野生型连接蛋白共表达时才会形成过度活跃的半通道。在这项研究中,我们评估了在转基因小鼠耳蜗中表达KID综合征突变Cx26S17F的功能后果,以及Cx26S17F和Cx30的共表达是否会导致过度活跃的半通道形成。事实上,我们发现来自组成型敲入Cx26S17F小鼠的耳蜗外植体或Cx26S17F的条件性耳蜗表达会在柯蒂氏器的支持细胞中产生过度活跃的半通道。这些情况还会导致毛细胞静纤毛的丧失。在支持细胞中,我们发现Cx26S17F和Cx30之间有高度共定位。在卵母细胞和HeLa细胞中也研究了共表达Cx26S17F和Cx30的细胞中形成的半通道的功能特性。在本研究使用的记录条件下,Cx26S17F没有形成功能性的半通道和缝隙连接通道,但共表达Cx26S17F和Cx30的细胞存在对半通道阻滞剂、钙和镧不敏感的过度活跃的半通道,导致更多的钙内流和细胞损伤。由Cx26S17F和Cx30形成的假定异源半通道的分子动力学分析显示细胞外钙结合位点发生改变。这些结果支持在KID综合征中,过度活跃的半通道是由支持细胞中Cx26S17F和Cx30之间的相互作用形成的,可能导致与耳聋相关的毛细胞损伤。