Elsevier, Journal of Structural Biology, 2(194), p. 139-146, 2016
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2016.01.006
Full text: Download
All inner ear organs possess extracellular matrix appendices over the sensory epithelia that are crucial for their proper function. The tectorial membrane (TM) is a gelatinous acellular membrane located above the hearing sensory epithelium and is composed mostly of type II collagen, and α and β tectorins. TM molecules self-assemble in the endolymph fluid environment, interacting medially with the spiral limbus and distally with the outer hair cell stereocilia. Here, we used immunogold labeling in freeze-substituted mouse cochleae to assess the fine localization of both tectorins in distinct TM regions. We observed that the TM adheres to the spiral limbus through a dense thin matrix enriched in α - and β –tectorin, both likely bound to the membranes of interdental cells. Freeze-etching images revealed that type II collagen fibrils were crosslinked by short thin filaments (4 ± 1.5 nm, width), resembling another collagen type protein, or chains of globular elements (15 ± 3.2 nm, diameter). Gold-particles for both tectorins also localized adjacent to the type II collagen fibrils, suggesting that these globules might be composed essentially of α - and β -tectorins. Finally, the presence of gold-particles at the TM lower side suggests that the outer hair cell stereocilia membrane has a molecular partner to tectorins, probably stereocilin, allowing the physical connection between the TM and the organ of Corti.