Recombinant Mouse Beta-tectorin (Tectb)

The cDNA fragment encoding 18-305aa of Mouse Beta-tectorin/Tectb was fused with an N-terminal 6xHis-tag and then expressed in vitro E.coli expression system. The product obtained is the Recombinant full-length of mature Mouse Tectb protein. Its purity was determined by using SDS-PAGE and reached up to 90%. On the reducing SDS-PAGE gel, there presented a molecular mass band of about 38 kDa. The slightly higher result was attributed to glycosylation. This recombinant Tectb protein may be used for specific antibody production or on the studies of the tectorial membrane (TM).

Tectb is a non-collagenous glycoprotein localized to the TM. It is exclusively highly expressed in the inner ear. The absence of Tecb impairs TM's core structure and significantly alters the cochlear function. Remarkable sensitivity and exquisite frequency selectivity are hallmarks of mammalian hearing. Roozbeh Ghaffari etc. demonstrated that Tectb mutation-mediated the reduction of the spatial extent and propagation velocity of TM traveling waves is probably responsible for all the hearing abnormalities related to the mutation. The deletion of the tectb gene in the mouse model showed reduced sensitivity and sharper frequency selectivity.