Different regulation of connexin26 and ZO-1 in cochleas of developing rats and of guinea pigs with endolymphatic hydrops.

Using confocal microscopy and morphometry, we analyzed the expression of connexin26 (Cx26) and ZO-1 in rat cochlea during the postnatal period to elucidate spatiotemporal changes in gap junctions and tight junctions during auditory development. We also studied changes in these junctions in experimental endolymphatic hydrops in the guinea pig. In the adult rat cochlear lateral wall, Cx26 was detected in fibrocytes in the spiral ligament and in the basal cell layer of the stria vascularis, whereas ZO-1 was detected in the apical surfaces of marginal cells and in the basal cell layer. During postnatal development, Cx26 expression increased mainly in the spiral ligament, whereas ZO-1 expression increased in the basal cell layer. The morphometry of Cx26 showed a sigmoid time course with a rapid increase on postnatal day (PND) 14, whereas that of ZO-1 showed a marked increase on PND 7. In experimental endolymphatic hydrops, the expression of Cx26 significantly decreased, whereas there were no obvious changes in the expression of ZO-1. These results indicate that gap junctions and tight junctions in the cochlea increase in a different spatiotemporal manner during the development of auditory function and that gap junctions and tight junctions in the cochlea are differentially regulated in experimental endolymphatic hydrops. (J Histochem Cytochem 49:573-586, 2001)