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A Comparative Study of Actin Filaments in Cochlear Hair Cells: Outer Hair Cells in the Apex of the Guinea Pig Cochlea Contain a Unique Ultrastructural Feature

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Abstract

Rhodamine-labelled phalloidin, a specific marker for filamentous actin, was used to describe the distribution of F-actin in the hair cells of the organs of Corti of guinea pigs, hooded rats, chinchillas and squirrel monkeys using surface preparations, cryosections, and isolated outer hair cells. The stereocilia and cuticular plates of all inner and outer hair cells were labelled, as were the lateral margins of outer hair cells of all species. In the outer hair cells of the apical turns of the guinea pig organ of Corti, an additional labelled structure was present in the apical cytoplasm of the cell. This infracuticular network of F-actin was never observed in outer hair cells of the basal turn of the guinea pig, nor in outer hair cells at any location in the organs of Corti of the other species examined.

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© 1989 Plenum Press, New York

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Carlisle, L., Thorne, P.R., Zajic, G., Altschuler, R.A., Schacht, J. (1989). A Comparative Study of Actin Filaments in Cochlear Hair Cells: Outer Hair Cells in the Apex of the Guinea Pig Cochlea Contain a Unique Ultrastructural Feature. In: Wilson, J.P., Kemp, D.T. (eds) Cochlear Mechanisms: Structure, Function, and Models. NATO ASI Series. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5640-0_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5640-0_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-5642-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-5640-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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