Figure 2
Hair cell morphology of transgenic mice examined by scanning electron microscopy. Hair cell stereocilia of wild-type (Tmc1+/+, n = 3 mice), Tg[PTmc1::Tmc1]; Tmc1∆/∆ (n = 3 mice), Tg[PTmc1::Tmc2]; Tmc1∆/∆ (n = 3 mice), Tg[Tmc1∆Ex8_9]; Tmc1∆/∆ (n = 4 mice), and Tmc1∆/∆ (n = 4 mice) cochleae at P25 are shown. In Tmc1∆/∆ cochleae as well as in Tg[Tmc1∆Ex8_9]; Tmc1∆/∆ cochleae, the inner HC stereocilia bundles were starting to degenerate in the middle to basal turns and the outer HC bundles were degenerating throughout the apical to basal turns. In contrast, the Tg[PTmc1::Tmc2]; Tmc1∆/∆ inner HC stereocilia bundles remained intact from the apical to basal turns, whereas their outer HC stereocilia bundles were starting to degenerate. In Tg[PTmc1::Tmc1]; Tmc1∆/∆ cochleae as well as wild-type cochleae, both inner and outer HC stereocilia bundles remained intact (scale bar, 10 µm).
