Abstract
The mammalian tectorial membrane (TM) is an acellular gelatinous structure that connects to the organ of Corti at the tallest rows of the outer hair cell stereocilia. TM is divided into three zones: the inner limbal zone, the middle zone, and the outer marginal zone. TM contains different types of collagen, proteoglycans, and three non-collagenous glycoproteins, namely α-tectorin, β-tectorin, and otogelin. The cDNA sequence of both α-tectorin and β-tectorin contains a zona pellucida (ZP) domain, a module known to help in the formation of homopolymers and heteropolymers. Recent models suggest TM improves tonotopy and hearing sensitivity by coupling with outer hair cell bundles. Alpha- and beta-tectorin mutant mice display abnormal morphology of TM and hearing loss. Alpha-tectorin mutations are also known to cause hearing loss in humans, including stable moderate to severe hearing loss and progressive hearing loss. Abnormal TM morphology is also observed in patients with idiopathic sudden sensory hearing loss, suggesting the vulnerability of TM to inflammatory processes.
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Tona, Y., Sakamoto, T. (2014). Tectorial Membrane. In: Ito, J. (eds) Regenerative Medicine for the Inner Ear. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54862-1_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54862-1_9
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