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The Auditory Ossicles

The Auditory Ossicles

The auditory ossicles of the middle ear transmit sounds from the air as vibrations to the fluid-filled cochlea. The auditory ossicles consist of two malleus (hammer) bones, two incus (anvil) bones, and two stapes (stirrups), one on each side. These bones develop during the fetal stage and are the ones to ossify first. They are fully mature at birth and do not grow afterward.
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Hearing

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 4, 2026

Dissection of the Auditory Bulla in Postnatal Mice: Isolation of the Middle Ear Bones and Histological Analysis

Dissection of the Auditory Bulla in Postnatal Mice: Isolation of the Middle Ear Bones and Histological Analysis

Published on: January 4, 2017

Hox-A2 protein expression in mouse embryo middle ear ossicles.

S Louryan¹, Marie Lejong¹, Myriam Choa-Duterre¹

¹Laboratoire d'anatomie, biomécanique et organogenèse (Dir: Prof. S. Louryan), faculté de médecine, université Libre de Bruxelles, route de Lennik, 808 (CP 619), B1070 Bruxelles, Belgium.

Morphologie : Bulletin De L'Association Des Anatomistes

|October 1, 2018

Summary

The origin of mammalian middle ear ossicles is debated. This study found Hox-A2 protein in all ossicular primordia, suggesting mixed cell origins from mandibular and hyoid pharyngeal arches.

Keywords:

Embryo Hoxa-2 Mouse Ossicles Pharyngeal arches

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Dissection of the Auditory Bulla in Postnatal Mice: Isolation of the Middle Ear Bones and Histological Analysis

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Published on: January 4, 2017

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Published on: January 11, 2018

Area of Science:

Developmental biology
Craniofacial development
Evolutionary developmental biology

Background:

The precise embryonic origin of mammalian middle ear ossicles (malleus, incus, stapes) from pharyngeal arches is a long-standing debate.
Two main theories exist: one proposing derivation solely from the mandibular arch (malleus, incus) and hyoid arch (stapes), the other suggesting a mixed origin for malleus and incus from both arches.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the cellular origins of mammalian middle ear ossicles.
To provide experimental evidence clarifying the contribution of mandibular and hyoid pharyngeal arches to ossicle development.

Main Methods:

Immunohistochemistry was used to detect Hox-A2 protein expression in ossicular anlagen of mouse embryos (E11-E13).
Hox-A2 expression patterns were analyzed in relation to Meckel's cartilage (mandibular arch derivative) and Reichert's cartilage (hyoid arch derivative).

Main Results:

Hox-A2 protein was unexpectedly detected in all developing middle ear ossicles and Reichert's cartilage.
Meckel's cartilage showed no Hox-A2 staining, but unlabeled cells were present in ossicular blastemata.
These findings challenge existing theories by indicating a potential mixed cellular contribution.

Conclusions:

Ossicular condensations likely arise from a combination of cell populations from both the mandibular and hyoid pharyngeal arches.
While Hox-A2 expression suggests a hyoid contribution, the presence of unlabeled cells indicates a complex, potentially mixed, developmental origin for middle ear ossicles.