Fig. 5: Hair cell degeneration in vestibular schwannoma utricles. | Nature Communications

Fig. 5: Hair cell degeneration in vestibular schwannoma utricles.

From: Single-cell transcriptomic atlas reveals increased regeneration in diseased human inner ear balance organs

Fig. 5

a, b Representative low magnification images of MYO7A+ hair cells (HC, green) in organ donor (OD) and vestibular schwannoma (VS) utricles, illustrating fewer HCs in the latter. c MYO7A-DAB (brown) staining showing many HCs in cadaveric utricles. d Quantification showing significantly fewer HCs in VS than OD and cadaveric utricles. e, f Compared to OD utricles, the VS sensory epithelium appeared thinner, contained fewer HCs (MYO7A, green), with many supporting cells (GFAP, red) remaining. VS HCs appeared dysmorphic and lacked bundles. g, h Relative to OD utricles, VS utricles displayed fewer type I HCs (asterisks, SOX2− (blue), TUJ1+ calyces (red)) and type II HCs (arrow, SOX2+(blue)). i, j F-actin-labeled (green) degenerating HCs (arrowhead and inset, cytocauds with actin-rich cables) in VS but not OD tissues. k–l’ MYO7A+ HCs (red, asterisks) with damaged bundles (F-actin, gray) in VS but not OD tissues. k”–l”’ Four types of bundle morphology observed in (k, l): long (blue), damaged, long (red), short (green), and bundle-less (purple). m Percentage of HCs displaying distinct bundle morphology. Most HCs are bundle-less in VS tissues, whereas many OD HCs have long bundles. n–s Scanning electron microscopy of VS HCs. n HC with intact bundle (blue). o Two HCs with remnants of bundles (purple); the left HC has intact bundle. p Remnants of stereocilia and kinocilium (yellow). q HC with short (green) and tall bundles located at the opposite poles. r HC with few intact stereocilia and remnants of a bundle at the opposite pole. s HC with a few thin, short stereocilia and remnants of a bundle. Data shown as mean ± S.D. and compared using one-way ANOVA. ***p < 0.0001 in (d). n = 13 for VS, n = 5 for OD, n = 4 for cadaveric tissues in (d), n = 1473 cells from 3 VS, 236 cells from 1 OD tissues in (m). Scale bar = 200 and 20 µm in (a, b), 100 and 20 µm in (c), 20 µm in (e–h), 20 and 10 µm in (i, j), 20 and 10 µm (k–l””), 3 µm in (n–s). Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

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