Fig. 4
Organ of Corti cytoarchitecture in P30 Dfnb1em274 HOM mice. Representative micrographs of historesin cochlear sections stained with cresyl violet, showing the organ of Corti at the basal (A, B) and apical (C, D) regions in WT (A, C) and Dfnb1em274 HOM (B, D) mice. WT mice present normal Corti cytoarchitecture, whereas Dfnb1em274 HOM mice show an absent spiral sulcus (SS) with presence of large inner sulcus cells, vacuolated interdental cells, and reduced or collapsed tunnel of Corti (TC, asterisks in B, D) due to the lack of separation between pillar cells (PC, arrows in B, D). These alterations are most severe in the basal turn of the cochlea. At apex region, the homozygous mouse shows spiral sulcus separated from the tectorial membrane, inner sulcus cells lower than in more basal regions (small arrows in D), and small tunnel of Corti (asterisk in D) with separate pillars. BC, border cells; DC, Deiter cells; IDC, interdental cells; IHC, inner hair cells; IPhC, inner phalangeal cells; ISC, inner sulcus cells; OHC, outer hair cell; PC, pillar cells; SL, spiral limbus; SS, spiral sulcus (inner sulcus); TC, tunnel of Corti; TM, tectorial membrane. Scale bar: 50 mm