Inner Ear Protein as a Biomarker in Circulation?
- 22 September 2014
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery
- Vol. 151 (6), 1038-1040
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599814551127
Abstract
Serum biomarkers detect the earliest events in disease, monitor management, and provide insight into disease pathogenesis. At this time, there are no biomarkers available for otologic disorders. Otolin-1 is a scaffolding protein exclusively expressed in otoconia and cells of the vestibule and the cochlea; therefore, it may be a biomarker candidate for assessing the health of the inner ear. As a proof of concept, we used serum samples from controls without otologic history and subjects with a history of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), performed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for otolin-1, and measured the optical density of the substrate. Otolin-1 was detectable and quantifiable in all subjects, indicating that this inner ear protein crosses the blood-labyrinthine barrier. Furthermore, subjects with BPPV had significantly higher levels, with about one-third being above the control range. This promising preliminary result suggests that inner ear–specific proteins have the potential to serve as biomarkers for otologic disease processes.Keywords
Funding Information
- National Institutes of Health (M01RR006192/RR/NCRR)
- University of Connecticut
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