Deafness Gene Expression Patterns in the Mouse Cochlea Found by Microarray Analysis

This study demonstrates the baseline data of gradient gene expression in the cochlea. Especially for genes whose mutations cause autosomal dominant non syndromic hearing loss (Pou4f3, Slc17a8, Tmc1, and Crym) as well as genes important for cochlear function (Emilin-2 and Tectb), gradual expression changes help to explain the various pathological conditions. Four C57BL/6 mice aged 6 weeks cochlea samples including the lateral wall, stria vascularis, spiral ligament, spiral prominence, and the organ of corti were dissected and separated into the apical, middle and basal turns to compare gene expression profiles of each cochlea turn.