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Heterogeneity of sensory hair cells in a fish ear
Author(s) -
Chang Janet S.Y.,
Popper Arthur N.,
Saidel William M.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/cne.903240413
Subject(s) - biology , amniote , hair cell , anatomy , cell type , kinocilium , ultrastructure , utricle , nucleus , sensory system , cochlea , inner ear , microbiology and biotechnology , cell , vertebrate , neuroscience , biochemistry , genetics , gene
The ultrastructure of sensory hair cells in the utricle of the cichlid fish, Astronotus ocellatus , the oscar, was studied by transmission electron microscopy of serial ultrathin sections from different regions of the epithelium. Two distinctly different types of hair cell were found, one located in the striolar region of the epithelium and the other in the extrastriolar region. Striolar hair cells have a well‐defined perinuclear cisterna located just below the nucleus, and large perinuclear mitochondria, Synapuc bodies.of striolar cells are small and located in clusters, while those in extrastriolar cells are relatively large and individually dispersed. The extrastriolar hair cell closely resembles the amniote type II hair cell. On the basis of these data, and consistent with earlier studies, it appears that the striolar hair cells closely resemble amniote type I hair cells in many significant ways. Thus we have called them type I‐like cells. The extrastriolar hair cells appear to be typical of eighth nerve mechanorecep‐tors commonly described for fish and closely resemble the amniote type II hair cell.