Pitt Lab Instructor of Medicine Chike Cao, Ph.D., recently published a manuscript “The CaV1.2 L-type calcium channel regulates bone homeostasis in the middle and inner ear.” The discovery was made after Dr. Cao and her team drove expression of a gain-of-function CaV1.2 mutant channel to target osteochondral/osteoblast progenitors in the auditory ossicles and the oticcapsule. The mutant mice displayed osteopetrosis of these bones, findings similar to phenotypes seen in mice with an osteoclast defect. The mice displayed hearing loss and defects of body balance in behavior tests, confirming that the CaV1.2-dependent Ca2+ influx affects bone structure in the ear and vestibular functions. These data provide insight into potential pathological mechanisms under-lying perturbed OPG expression and otosclerosis.
Congratulations Dr. Cao!