Boettcher cell
Encyclopedia
Boettcher cells are polyhedral cells on the basilar membrane
of the cochlea
, and are located beneath Claudius cells
. Boettcher cells are considered supporting cells for the organ of Corti
, and are present only in the lower turn of the cochlea. These cells interweave with each other, and project microvilli into the intercellular space.
Because of their structural specialization, Boettcher cells are believed to play a significant role in the function of the cochlea. They demonstrate high levels of calmodulin
, and may be involved in mediating Ca(2+) regulation and ion
transport. Boettcher cells are named after German pathologist Arthur Boettcher
(1831-1889).
Nitric oxide synthase is detected abundantly in the cytoplasm of their interdigitations. Their ultrastructure suggests that they perform both secretory and absorptive functions. Panx1 expression has been observed.
Basilar membrane
The basilar membrane within the cochlea of the inner ear is a stiff structural element that separates two liquid-filled tubes that run along the coil of the cochlea, the scala media and the scala tympani .-Function:...
of the cochlea
Cochlea
The cochlea is the auditory portion of the inner ear. It is a spiral-shaped cavity in the bony labyrinth, making 2.5 turns around its axis, the modiolus....
, and are located beneath Claudius cells
Claudius cells
Cladius Cells are considered as supporting cells within the Organ of Corti in the Cochlea. These cells extend from Hensen's cells to the spiral prominence epithelium, forming the Outer Sulcus. They are in direct contact with the endolymph of the Scala media. These cells are sealed via tight...
. Boettcher cells are considered supporting cells for the organ of Corti
Organ of Corti
The organ of Corti is the organ in the inner ear of mammals that contains auditory sensory cells, or "hair cells."The organ was named after the Italian anatomist Marquis Alfonso Giacomo Gaspare Corti , who conducted microscopic research of the mammaliean auditory system.-Structure and function:The...
, and are present only in the lower turn of the cochlea. These cells interweave with each other, and project microvilli into the intercellular space.
Because of their structural specialization, Boettcher cells are believed to play a significant role in the function of the cochlea. They demonstrate high levels of calmodulin
Calmodulin
Calmodulin is a calcium-binding protein expressed in all eukaryotic cells...
, and may be involved in mediating Ca(2+) regulation and ion
Ion
An ion is an atom or molecule in which the total number of electrons is not equal to the total number of protons, giving it a net positive or negative electrical charge. The name was given by physicist Michael Faraday for the substances that allow a current to pass between electrodes in a...
transport. Boettcher cells are named after German pathologist Arthur Boettcher
Arthur Böttcher
Jakob Ernst Arthur Böttcher was a German pathologist and anatomist who was a native of Bauska, Kurland.In 1856 he earned his medical doctorate from the University of Dorpat with a dissertation on the nerve supply to the inner ear's cochlea...
(1831-1889).
Nitric oxide synthase is detected abundantly in the cytoplasm of their interdigitations. Their ultrastructure suggests that they perform both secretory and absorptive functions. Panx1 expression has been observed.