Recent findings that a high proportion of non-syndromic hereditary sensorin
eural hearing loss is due to mutations in the gene for connexin 26 indicate
the crucial role that the gene product plays for normal functioning of the
cochlea. Excluding sensory cells, most cells in the cochlea are connected
via gap junctions and these gap junctions appear to play critical roles in
cochlear ion homeostasis. Connexin 26 occurs in gap junctions connecting al
l cell classes in the cochlea, There are two independent systems of cells,
which are defined by interconnecting gap junctions. The first system, the e
pithelial cell gap junction system, is mainly composed of all organ of Cort
i supporting cells, and also includes interdental cells in the spiral limbu
s and root cells within the spiral ligament. The second system, the connect
ive tissue cell gap junction system, consists of strial intermediate cells,
strial basal cells, fibrocytes in the spiral ligament, mesenchymal cells l
ining the bony otic capsule facing the scala vestibuli, mesenchymal dark ce
lls in the supralimbal zone, and fibrocytes in the spiral limbus, One funct
ion of these gap junctional systems is the recirculation of K+ ions from ha
ir cells to the strial marginal cells. Interruption of this recirculation,
which may be caused by the mutation in connexin 26 gene, would deprive the
stria vascularis of K+ and result in hearing loss. (C) 2000 Elsevier Scienc
e B.V. All rights reserved.