Abstract:
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) often presents with an insidious onset, resulting from the cumulative effect of chronic, high-level noise exposure regardless of etiology. Stereocilin (STRC) is a protein that supports stereocilia attachment and cochlear hair cell function, 2 common targets of noise trauma. In this study, we explored the relationship between STRC and daily noise exposure in young, healthy adults. We found that higher noise exposure levels were associated with lower serum levels of STRC, as was the case for another inner-ear protein, prestin. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between serum STRC and prestin levels. These results support a biomarker approach for the diagnosis and monitoring of NIHL. The ability to detect and measure STRC in the blood also has implications for targeted gene therapy. STRC mutations are known to be associated with autosomal recessive deafness, a condition that is now amenable to targeted gene therapy.
摘要:
噪声引起的听力损失(NIHL)通常表现为阴险发作,由于慢性的累积效应,与病因无关的高水平噪声暴露。Stereocilin(STRC)是一种支持立体纤毛附着和耳蜗毛细胞功能的蛋白质,噪声创伤的2个常见目标。在这项研究中,我们探索了STRC与青少年日常噪声暴露之间的关系,健康的成年人。我们发现,较高的噪声暴露水平与较低的STRC血清水平有关,就像另一种内耳蛋白一样,Prestin.血清STRC与prestin水平之间存在统计学上的显着正相关。这些结果支持用于NIHL的诊断和监测的生物标志物方法。检测和测量血液中STRC的能力也对靶向基因治疗具有意义。已知STRC突变与常染色体隐性耳聋有关,一种现在适合靶向基因治疗的疾病。