Serum Levels of Stereocilin as a Hearing Biomarker

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) often presents with an insidious onset, resulting from the cumulative effect of chronic, high-level noise exposure regardless of etiology. Stereocilin (STRC) is a protein that supports stereocilia attachment and cochlear hair cell function, 2 common targets of noise trauma. In this study, we explored the relationship between STRC and daily noise exposure in young, healthy adults. We found that higher noise exposure levels were associated with lower serum levels of STRC, as was the case for another inner-ear protein, prestin. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between serum STRC and prestin levels. These results support a biomarker approach for the diagnosis and monitoring of NIHL. The ability to detect and measure STRC in the blood also has implications for targeted gene therapy. STRC mutations are known to be associated with autosomal recessive deafness, a condition that is now amenable to targeted gene therapy.