Megalin, a member of the low-density lipoprotein receptor family, is highly expressed in renal proximal tubular cells and marginal cells of the stria vascularis of the inner ear - tissues, which accumulate high levels of platinum-DNA adducts.
In the present study, we demonstrate that homozygous megalin mutant mice exhibit profound hearing loss at 3 months of age associated with features of presbycusis, enrichment of lipofuscin granules, and a reduced number of microvilli in marginal cells of the stria vascularis.