Mutation at the Evi1 locus in Junbo mice causes susceptibility to otitis media

Nicholas Parkinson, Rachel E. Hardisty-Hughes, Hilda Tateossian, Hsun Tien Tsai, Debra Brooker, Sue Morse, Zuzanna Lalane, Francesca MacKenzie, Martin Fray, Pete Glenister, Anne Marie Woodward, Sian Polley, Ivana Barbaric, Neil Dear, Tertius A. Hough, A. Jackie Hunter, Michael T. Cheeseman, Steve D.M. Brown

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

80 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Otitis media (OM), inflammation of the middle ear, remains the most common cause of hearing impairment in children. It is also the most common cause of surgery in children in the developed world. There is evidence from studies of the human population and mouse models that there is a significant genetic component predisposing to OM, yet nothing is known about the underlying genetic pathways involved in humans. We identified an N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced dominant mouse mutant Junbo with hearing loss due to chronic suppurative OM and otorrhea. This develops from acute OM that arises spontaneously in the postnatal period, with the age of onset and early severity dependent on the microbiological status of the mice and their air quality. We have identified the causal mutation, a missense change in the C-terminal zinc finger region of the transcription factor Evi1. This protein is expressed in middle ear basal epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and neutrophil leukocytes at postnatal day 13 and 21 when inflammatory changes are underway. The identification and characterization of the Junbo mutant elaborates a novel role for Evi1 in mammalian disease and implicates a new pathway in genetic predisposition to OM.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1556-1564
Number of pages9
JournalPLoS Genetics
Volume2
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished or Issued - Oct 2006
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Genetics(clinical)
  • Cancer Research

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