scholarly journals The Key Transcription Factor Expression in the Developing Vestibular and Auditory Sensory Organs: A Comprehensive Comparison of Spatial and Temporal Patterns

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaofeng Liu ◽  
Yunfeng Wang ◽  
Yongtian Lu ◽  
Wen Li ◽  
Wenjing Liu ◽  
...  

Inner ear formation requires that a series of cell fate decisions and morphogenetic events occur in a precise temporal and spatial pattern. Previous studies have shown that transcription factors, including Pax2, Sox2, and Prox1, play important roles during the inner ear development. However, the temporospatial expression patterns among these transcription factors are poorly understood. In the current study, we present a comprehensive description of the temporal and spatial expression profiles of Pax2, Sox2, and Prox1 during auditory and vestibular sensory organ development in mice. Using immunohistochemical analyses, we show that Sox2 and Pax2 are both expressed in the prosensory cells (the developing hair cells), but Sox2 is later restricted to only the supporting cells of the organ of Corti. In the vestibular sensory organ, however, the Pax2 expression is localized in hair cells at postnatal day 7, while Sox2 is still expressed in both the hair cells and supporting cells at that time. Prox1 was transiently expressed in the presumptive hair cells and developing supporting cells, and lower Prox1 expression was observed in the vestibular sensory organ compared to the organ of Corti. The different expression patterns of these transcription factors in the developing auditory and vestibular sensory organs suggest that they play different roles in the development of the sensory epithelia and might help to shape the respective sensory structures.

2019 ◽  
Vol 379 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lejo Johnson Chacko ◽  
Consolato Sergi ◽  
Theresa Eberharter ◽  
Jozsef Dudas ◽  
Helge Rask-Andersen ◽  
...  

AbstractExpression patterns of transcription factors leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 (LGR5), transforming growth factor-β-activated kinase-1 (TAK1), SRY (sex-determining region Y)-box 2 (SOX2), and GATA binding protein 3 (GATA3) in the developing human fetal inner ear were studied between the gestation weeks 9 and 12. Further development of cochlear apex between gestational weeks 11 and 16 (GW11 and GW16) was examined using transmission electron microscopy. LGR5 was evident in the apical poles of the sensory epithelium of the cochlear duct and the vestibular end organs at GW11. Immunostaining was limited to hair cells of the organ of Corti by GW12. TAK1 was immune positive in inner hair cells of the organ of Corti by GW12 and colocalized with p75 neurotrophic receptor expression. Expression for SOX2 was confined primarily to the supporting cells of utricle at the earliest stage examined at GW9. Intense expression for GATA3 was presented in the cochlear sensory epithelium and spiral ganglia at GW9. Expression of GATA3 was present along the midline of both the utricle and saccule in the zone corresponding to the striolar reversal zone where the hair cell phenotype switches from type I to type II. The spatiotemporal gradient of the development of the organ of Corti was also evident with the apex of the cochlea forming by GW16. It seems that highly specific staining patterns of several transcriptions factors are critical in guiding the genesis of the inner ear over development. Our findings suggest that the spatiotemporal gradient in cochlear development extends at least until gestational week 16.


Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.K. Wu ◽  
F.D. Nunes ◽  
D. Choo

A mature inner ear is a complex labyrinth containing multiple sensory organs and nonsensory structures in a fixed configuration. Any perturbation in the structure of the labyrinth will undoubtedly lead to functional deficits. Therefore, it is important to understand molecularly how and when the position of each inner ear component is determined during development. To address this issue, each axis of the otocyst (embryonic day 2.5, E2.5, stage 16–17) was changed systematically at an age when axial information of the inner ear is predicted to be fixed based on gene expression patterns. Transplanted inner ears were analyzed at E4.5 for gene expression of BMP4 (bone morphogenetic protein), SOHo-1 (sensory organ homeobox-1), Otx1 (cognate of Drosophila orthodenticle gene), p75NGFR (nerve growth factor receptor) and Msx1 (muscle segment homeobox), or at E9 for their gross anatomy and sensory organ formation. Our results showed that axial specification in the chick inner ear occurs later than expected and patterning of sensory organs in the inner ear was first specified along the anterior/posterior (A/P) axis, followed by the dorsal/ventral (D/V) axis. Whereas the A/P axis of the sensory organs was fixed at the time of transplantation, the A/P axis for most non-sensory structures was not and was able to be re-specified according to the new axial information from the host. The D/V axis for the inner ear was not fixed at the time of transplantation. The asynchronous specification of the A/P and D/V axes of the chick inner ear suggests that sensory organ formation is a multi-step phenomenon, rather than a single inductive event.


Development ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 126 (8) ◽  
pp. 1581-1590 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Chen ◽  
N. Segil

Strict control of cellular proliferation is required to shape the complex structures of the developing embryo. The organ of Corti, the auditory neuroepithelium of the inner ear in mammals, consists of two types of terminally differentiated mechanosensory hair cells and at least four types of supporting cells arrayed precisely along the length of the spiral cochlea. In mice, the progenitors of greater than 80% of both hair cells and supporting cells undergo their terminal division between embryonic day 13 (E13) and E14. As in humans, these cells persist in a non-proliferative state throughout the adult life of the animal. Here we report that the correct timing of cell cycle withdrawal in the developing organ of Corti requires p27(Kip1), a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor that functions as an inhibitor of cell cycle progression. p27(Kip1) expression is induced in the primordial organ of Corti between E12 and E14, correlating with the cessation of cell division of the progenitors of the hair cells and supporting cells. In wild-type animals, p27(Kip1) expression is downregulated during subsequent hair cell differentiation, but it persists at high levels in differentiated supporting cells of the mature organ of Corti. In mice with a targeted deletion of the p27(Kip1) gene, proliferation of the sensory cell progenitors continues after E14, leading to the appearance of supernumerary hair cells and supporting cells. In the absence of p27(Kip1), mitotically active cells are still observed in the organ of Corti of postnatal day 6 animals, suggesting that the persistence of p27(Kip1) expression in mature supporting cells may contribute to the maintenance of quiescence in this tissue and, possibly, to its inability to regenerate. Homozygous mutant mice are severely hearing impaired. Thus, p27(Kip1) provides a link between developmental control of cell proliferation and the morphological development of the inner ear.


2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Perin ◽  
Simona Tritto ◽  
Laura Botta ◽  
Jacopo Maria Fontana ◽  
Giulia Gastaldi ◽  
...  

We characterize the expression pattern of aquaporin-6 in the mouse inner ear by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Our data show that in the inner ear aquaporin-6 is expressed, in both vestibular and acoustic sensory epithelia, by the supporting cells directly contacting hair cells. In particular, in the Organ of Corti, expression was strongest in Deiters' cells, which provide both a mechanical link between outer hair cells (OHCs) and the Organ of Corti, and an entry point for ion recycle pathways. Since aquaporin-6 is permeable to both water and anions, these results suggest its possible involvement in regulating OHC motility, directly through modulation of water and chloride flow or by changing mechanical compliance in Deiters' cells. In further support of this role, treating mice with salicylates, which impair OHC electromotility, dramatically reduced aquaporin-6 expression in the inner ear epithelia but not in control tissues, suggesting a role for this protein in modulating OHCs' responses.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amrita A. Iyer ◽  
Andrew K. Groves

Non-mammalian vertebrates can restore their auditory and vestibular hair cells naturally by triggering the regeneration of adjacent supporting cells. The transcription factor ATOH1 is a key regulator of hair cell development and regeneration in the inner ear. Following the death of hair cells, supporting cells upregulate ATOH1 and give rise to new hair cells. However, in the mature mammalian cochlea, such natural regeneration of hair cells is largely absent. Transcription factor reprogramming has been used in many tissues to convert one cell type into another, with the long-term hope of achieving tissue regeneration. Reprogramming transcription factors work by altering the transcriptomic and epigenetic landscapes in a target cell, resulting in a fate change to the desired cell type. Several studies have shown that ATOH1 is capable of reprogramming cochlear non-sensory tissue into cells resembling hair cells in young animals. However, the reprogramming ability of ATOH1 is lost with age, implying that the potency of individual hair cell-specific transcription factors may be reduced or lost over time by mechanisms that are still not clear. To circumvent this, combinations of key hair cell transcription factors have been used to promote hair cell regeneration in older animals. In this review, we summarize recent findings that have identified and studied these reprogramming factor combinations for hair cell regeneration. Finally, we discuss the important questions that emerge from these findings, particularly the feasibility of therapeutic strategies using reprogramming factors to restore human hearing in the future.


eLife ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoe F Mann ◽  
Héctor Gálvez ◽  
David Pedreno ◽  
Ziqi Chen ◽  
Elena Chrysostomou ◽  
...  

The mechanisms of formation of the distinct sensory organs of the inner ear and the non-sensory domains that separate them are still unclear. Here, we show that several sensory patches arise by progressive segregation from a common prosensory domain in the embryonic chicken and mouse otocyst. This process is regulated by mutually antagonistic signals: Notch signalling and Lmx1a. Notch-mediated lateral induction promotes prosensory fate. Some of the early Notch-active cells, however, are normally diverted from this fate and increasing lateral induction produces misshapen or fused sensory organs in the chick. Conversely Lmx1a (or cLmx1b in the chick) allows sensory organ segregation by antagonizing lateral induction and promoting commitment to the non-sensory fate. Our findings highlight the dynamic nature of sensory patch formation and the labile character of the sensory-competent progenitors, which could have facilitated the emergence of new inner ear organs and their functional diversification in the course of evolution.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (22) ◽  
pp. 8649
Author(s):  
Xin Deng ◽  
Zhengqing Hu

Regeneration of auditory hair cells in adult mammals is challenging. It is also difficult to track the sources of regenerated hair cells, especially in vivo. Previous paper found newly generated hair cells in deafened mouse by injecting a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-azacytidine into the inner ear. This paper aims to investigate the cell sources of new hair cells. Transgenic mice with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) expression controlled by the Sox2 gene were used in the study. A combination of kanamycin and furosemide was applied to deafen adult mice, which received 4 mM 5-azacytidine injection into the inner ear three days later. Mice were followed for 3, 5, 7 and 14 days after surgery to track hair cell regeneration. Immunostaining of Myosin VIIa and EGFP signals were used to track the fate of Sox2-expressing supporting cells. The results show that (i) expression of EGFP in the transgenic mice colocalized the supporting cells in the organ of Corti, and (ii) the cell source of regenerated hair cells following 5-azacytidine treatment may be supporting cells during 5–7 days post 5-azacytidine injection. In conclusion, 5-azacytidine may promote the conversion of supporting cells to hair cells in chemically deafened adult mice.


1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (19) ◽  
pp. 7811-7821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna M. Fekete ◽  
Shanthini Muthukumar ◽  
Domna Karagogeos

eLife ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sung-Ho Huh ◽  
Mark E Warchol ◽  
David M Ornitz

The sensory and supporting cells (SCs) of the organ of Corti are derived from a limited number of progenitors. The mechanisms that regulate the number of sensory progenitors are not known. Here, we show that Fibroblast Growth Factors (FGF) 9 and 20, which are expressed in the non-sensory (Fgf9) and sensory (Fgf20) epithelium during otic development, regulate the number of cochlear progenitors. We further demonstrate that Fgf receptor (Fgfr) 1 signaling within the developing sensory epithelium is required for the differentiation of outer hair cells and SCs, while mesenchymal FGFRs regulate the size of the sensory progenitor population and the overall cochlear length. In addition, ectopic FGFR activation in mesenchyme was sufficient to increase sensory progenitor proliferation and cochlear length. These data define a feedback mechanism, originating from epithelial FGF ligands and mediated through periotic mesenchyme that controls the number of sensory progenitors and the length of the cochlea.


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