Ignition of supporting cell activation for hair cell regeneration in the avian auditory epithelium: an explant culture model

ABSTRACT: Sensorineural hearing loss is included in the most common disabilities, and often caused by loss of sensory hair cells in the cochlea. Hair cell regeneration has long been a main target for developing novel therapeutics for sensorineural hearing loss. In the mammalian cochlea, hair cell regeneration occurs in very limited situations, while auditory epithelia of non-mammalians retain the capacity for hair cell regeneration. In the avian basilar papilla, an auditory sensory epithelium, supporting cells, which are sources for regenerated hair cells, are usually quiescent, while hair cell loss induces both direct transdifferentiation of supporting cells and mitotic division of supporting cells. In the present study, we aimed to establish an explant culture model for hair cell regeneration in chick basilar papillae, and validated usefulness of our model to investigate the initial phase of hair cell regeneration. Histological assessments demonstrated that hair cell regeneration via direct transdifferentiation of supporting cells occurred in our model. Labeling assay using 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) revealed the occurrence of mitotic division of supporting cells in the specific location in basilar papillae, while no EdU labeling was identified in newly generated HCs. RNA sequencing indicated alterations in known signaling pathways associated with hair cell regeneration, which is consistent with previous findings. In addition, unbiased analyses of RNA sequencing data indicated novel genes and signaling pathways that could be related to the ignition of supporting cell activation in chick basilar papillae. These results indicate the advantages of our model using explant cultures of chick basilar papillae for exploring molecular mechanisms for hair cell regeneration. Further studies such as single-cell RNA sequencing will allow us to capture the spatiotemporal information by using our explant culture model.

ORGANISM(S): Gallus gallus

PROVIDER: GSE154375 | GEO | 2020/10/23

REPOSITORIES: GEO