Development of hair cells in inner ear is associated with expression and promoter methylation of Notch-1 in postnatal mice

The present study was designed to investigate the correlation among the number of hair cells in inner ear, Notch-1 gene expression levels and its methylation status of the promoter region in the postnatal mice. The hair cells in inner ear were collected from postnatal mice at day 0, 4, 8 and 16 and counted by immunofluorescence. Notch-1 mRNA expression were measured by real-time quantitative polymerize chain reaction (PCR). Methylation levels of CpG islands in Notch-1 promoters were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. The results showed that the number of hair cells in the inner ear increased gradually after birth, which were positively correlated to Notch-1 mRNA expression. However, analysis on methylation of CpG sites in Notch-1 promoter showed that the methylation rates increased gradually after births, which were correlated with the decreased expression of Notch-1. Drug lesion induced the loss of hair cells, and stimulated the expression of Notch-1 mRNA expression, but didn't influence the methylation rates of Notch-1 promoter. We concluded that the Notch-1 mRNA expression level in inner ear tissues is correlated with the development of hair cells. CpG islands in Notch-1 promoter region manifest hypermethylation status when hair cells in inner ear are mature.