Protein gene product 9.5 expression in the human fetal cochlea

The distribution of protein gene product (PGP) 9.5 was analyzed in the human fetal cochlea using the indirect immunofluorescence method. In the 12- and 14-week-old human fetuses, the cells of the greater epithelial ridge and the lesser epithelial ridge were overall labelled with PGP 9.5, while the stria vascularis and the Reissner's membrane did not exhibit any staining. Spiral ganglion cells and cochlear nerve fibers were labelled with PGP 9.5 and PGP 9.5-positive nerve fibers made contact with the basement membrane of the Corti primordium in the 12-week-old human fetus. These results suggest that PGP 9.5 might be used as a histological marker of maturation and innervation in the human cochlea.