Cheng Cheng1,2 · Guangjie Zhu1,2 · Kaijian Wang3 · Chuan Bu4 · Siyu Li1 · Yue Qiu1 · Jie Lu5 · Xinya Ji5 · Wenli Hao1 · Junguo Wang1,2 · Chengwen Zhu1,2 · Ye Yang1,2 · Yajun Gu1 · Xiaoyun Qian1,2 · Chenjie Yu1,2 · Xia Gao1,21 Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Drum Tower Hospital, Afliated Hospital of the Medical School, Jiangsu Provincial Key Medical Discipline (Laboratory), Nanjing University, Nanjing 210008, China
2 Research Institute of Otolaryngology, Nanjing 210008, China
3 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Qidong People’s Hospital, Qidong Liver Cancer Institute, Afliated Qidong Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226200, China
4 The First Afliated Hospital of Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University, The First People’s Hospital of Lianyungang, Lianyungang 222000, China
5 Northern Jiangsu People’s Hospital Afliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, China
Abstract
Deafness is the prevailing sensory impairment among humans, impacting every aspect of one's existence. Half of congenital deafness cases are attributed to genetic factors. Studies have shown that Luzp2 is expressed in hair cells (HCs) and supporting cells of the inner ear, but its specific role in hearing remains unclear. To determine the importance of Luzp2 in auditory function, we generated mice deficient in Luzp2. Our results revealed that Luzp2 has predominant expression within the HCs and pillar cells. However, the loss of Luzp2 did not result in any changes in auditory threshold. HCs or synapse number and HC stereocilia morphology in Luzp2 knockout mice did not show any notable distinctions. This was the first study of the role of Luzp2 in hearing in mice, and our results provide important guidance for the screening of deafness genes.
Keywords
Hearing loss; Luzp2; Hair cell; Stereocilia; Ribbon synapse
