Voltage-gated calcium influx modifies cholinergic inhibition of inner hair cells in the immature rat cochlea

Stephen Zachary, Nathaniel Nowak, Pankhuri Vyas, Luke Bonanni, Paul Albert Fuchs

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Until postnatal day (P) 12, inner hair cells of the rat cochlea are invested with both afferent and efferent synaptic connections. With the onset of hearing at P12, the efferent synapses disappear, and afferent (ribbon) synapses operate with greater efficiency. This change coincides with increased expression of voltage-gated potassium channels, the loss of calcium-dependent electrogenesis, and the onset of graded receptor potentials driven by sound. The transient efferent synapses include near-membrane postsynaptic cisterns thought to regulate calcium influx through the hair cell’s α9-containing and α10-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. This influx activates small-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK) channels. Serial-section electron microscopy of inner hair cells from two 9-d-old (male) rat pups revealed many postsynaptic efferent cisterns and presynaptic afferent ribbons whose average minimal separation in five cells ranged from 1.1 to 1.7 μm. Efferent synaptic function was studied in rat pups (age, 7–9 d) of either sex. The duration of these SK channel-mediated IPSCs was increased by enhanced calcium influx through L-type voltage-gated channels, combined with ryanodine-sensitive release from internal stores—presumably the near-membrane postsynaptic cistern. These data support the possibility that inner hair cell calcium electrogenesis modulates the efficacy of efferent inhibition during the maturation of inner hair cell synapses.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)5677-5687
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Neuroscience
Volume38
Issue number25
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 20 2018
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Calcium-activated potassium channel
  • Calcium-induced calcium release
  • Efferent inhibition
  • L-type calcium channel
  • Ribbon synapse
  • Synaptic cistern

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

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