TBC1D24 is likely to regulate vesicle trafficking in glia-like non-sensory epithelial cells of the cochlea

• Published in: The International journal of developmental biology Vol. 68; no. 2; pp. 79 - 83
• Main Author: Defourny, Jean
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: Spain University of the Basque Country Press 11-06-2024; UPV/EHU Press
• Subjects: Biochemistry, biophysics & molecular biology; Biochimie, biophysique & biologie moléculaire; Cell migration; Central nervous system; Cochlea; Deafness; Developmental stages; Drug resistance; Encephalopathy; Epilepsy; Epithelial cells; Epithelium; glia-like; Glial cells; Hair cells; Hearing loss; Intellectual disabilities; Life sciences; Maturation; Neural crest; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Neuroglia; Neurological diseases; Neuronal-glial interactions; Neurotransmission; Osteodystrophy; Pathogenesis; Protein transport; Proteins; Sciences du vivant; Sensory epithelium; Sensory neurons; TBC1D24
• ISSN: 0214-6282; 1696-3547; 1696-3547
• DOI: 10.1387/ijdb.240060jd

Mutations in the gene encoding Tre2/Bub2/Cdc16 (TBC)1 domain family member 24 (TBC1D24) protein are associated with a variety of neurological disorders, ranging from non-syndromic hearing loss to drug-resistant lethal epileptic encephalopathy and DOORS syndrome [Deafness, Onychodystrophy, Osteodystrophy, intellectual disability (formerly referred to as mental Retardation), and Seizures]. TBC1D24 is a vesicle-associated protein involved in neural crest cell and neuronal migration, maturation, and neurotransmission. In the cochlea, TBC1D24 has been detected in auditory neurons, but few reliable and convergent data exist about the sensory epithelium. Here, the expression of TBC1D24 has been characterized via immunolabelling throughout the postnatal maturation of the mouse cochlear sensory epithelium. TBC1D24 was detected in glia-like non-sensory epithelial cells during early developmental stages. In contrast, TBC1D24 was virtually absent in adjacent sensory hair cells. This expression distinguishing non-sensory from sensory epithelial cells almost disappears around the onset of hearing. Until now, TBC1D24 was mainly described as a neuronal protein either in the brain or in the cochlea. The present observations suggest that TBC1D24 could also regulate vesicle trafficking in cochlear glia-like non-sensory epithelial cells. For a long time, research about epilepsy has been mainly neurocentric. However, there is now evidence proving that glial cell dysregulation contribute to pathogenesis of epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disorders. As a consequence, exploring the possibility that TBC1D24 could also have a role in glial cells of the central nervous system could help to gain insight into TBC1D24-related neurological pathogenesis.