Modulation of hearing related proteins in the brain and inner ear following repeated blast exposures

Abstract

Emerging studies show that blast exposure causes traumatic brain injury (TBI) and auditory dysfunction without rupture of tympanic membrane, suggesting central auditory processing impairment after blast exposure. There is limited information on the mechanisms of blast-induced TBI and associated peripheral and central auditory processing impairments. We utilized a repetitive blast exposure mouse model to unravel the mechanisms of blast TBI and auditory impairment. C57BL/6J mice were exposed to three repeated blasts (20.6 psi) using a shock tube, and the cerebellum was subjected to proteomic analysis. The data showed that calretinin and parvalbumin, two major calcium buffering proteins, were significantly up-regulated after repeated blast exposures, and this was confirmed by Western blotting. Since these proteins are reportedly involved in auditory dysfunction, we examined the inner ear and found both calretinin and parvalbumin were up-regulated, suggesting that modulation of these proteins plays a role in blast-induced peripheral and central auditory processing impairments. Expression of cleaved caspase-3 was also up-regulated in both regions indicating ongoing cellular apoptosis, possibly due to altered calcium homeostasis. These results provide a molecular basis for changes in central and peripheral auditory processing involving abnormal calcium homeostasis resulting in hearing impairment after blast exposure.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2012
Source ID
10.1556/imas.4.2012.3.2

Entities

People

  • Joseph B. Long
  • Lionel Biggemann
  • Madhusoodana P. Nambiar
  • Manojkumar Valiyaveettil
  • Peethambaran Arun
  • Samuel Oguntayo
  • Yanling Wei
  • Ying Wang
  • Yonas Alamneh

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Auditory Neuroscience/Auditory Physiology.
  • Molecular Biology and Genetics
  • Neuroscience

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology