Immunohistochemical localization of Ca2+/Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV in outer hair cells.

A smooth membrane system consisting of subsurface cisternae (SSC) underlies the lateral plasmalemma of auditory outer hair cells (OHCs). The SSC contain Ca-ATPase and are regarded as an intracellular Ca2+ reservoir like the sarcoplasmic reticulum of myocytes. Recently, it has been demonstrated that Ca-ATPase activity in sarcoplasmic reticulum is regulated by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases (CaM kinases). Here we investigated the presence of CaM kinases in OHCs and their possible association with the SSC. Inner ears collected from adult gerbils and from neonates at 2-day intervals between 0 and 20 days after birth were immunostained with antibodies specific for different CaM kinases. A polyclonal antiserum against CaM kinase IV yielded a strong immunostaining reaction along the lateral wall of OHCs. The staining appeared after the tenth postnatal day and continued into adulthood. No other site in the inner ear, including cochlear inner hair cells and vestibular hair cells, was reactive. The kinase's apparent association with the SSC strongly supports its involvement in intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis and suggests a role in regulating the OHCs' slow motile responses.