Fig. 7. Histology of inner ears of P12 Foxi1+/+ and
Foxi1-/- mice. Nasal (N) and caudal (C) orientations as
marked in A. In Foxi1-/- mice the entire inner ear is
enlarged with large irregular cavities in place of the delicate inner ear
structures of the wild-type ear. S, saccule; U, utricle; ME, middle ear;
asterisks mark the basal turn of the cochlea in A. (C) In the mutant the
endolymphatic sac (ES) seems to compress the cerebellum and the posterior part
of the ES (arrowheads) is expanded considerably in the posterior/dorsal
direction (double headed arrow) compared with the wild type (A). The temporal
bone (TB, arrowheads) is also clearly reduced. (B,D) The normal cochlea with
its modiolus (Mo, in B) is absent in the mutant (D) and in its place is an
enlarged cavity with an apical cyst (AC). Scale bars: in A, 100 µm for A,C;
in B, 100 µm for B,D.