Abstract
Auditory hair cells are surrounded on their basolateral aspects by supporting cells, and these two cell types together constitute the sensory epithelium of the organ of Corti, which is the hearing apparatus of the ear. We show here that Lgr5, a marker for adult stem cells, was expressed in a subset of supporting cells in the newborn and adult murine cochlea. Lgr5-expressing supporting cells, sorted by flow cytometry and cultured in a single-cell suspension, compared with unsorted cells, displayed an enhanced capacity for self-renewing neurosphere formation in response to Wnt and were converted to hair cells at a higher (>10-fold) rate. The greater differentiation of hair cells in the neurosphere assay showed that Lgr5-positive cells had the capacity to act as cochlear progenitor cells, and lineage tracing confirmed that Lgr5-expressing cells accounted for the cells that formed neurospheres and differentiated to hair cells. The responsiveness to Wnt of cells with a capacity for division and sensory cell formation suggests a potential route to new hair cell generation in the adult cochlea.
Publication types
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Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Animals, Newborn
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Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors / genetics
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Bromodeoxyuridine / metabolism
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Cell Differentiation / drug effects
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Cell Differentiation / genetics
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Cells, Cultured
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Cholera / classification*
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Cholera / drug therapy
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Cholera / metabolism
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Flow Cytometry
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Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / drug effects*
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Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / genetics
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Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics
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Hair Cells, Auditory / physiology*
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In Vitro Techniques
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Mice
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Mice, Transgenic
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Myosin VIIa
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Myosins / metabolism
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Proteins / genetics
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RNA, Messenger / metabolism
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RNA, Untranslated
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Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / genetics
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Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / metabolism*
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SOXB1 Transcription Factors / genetics
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Stem Cells / physiology*
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Thermolysin / pharmacology
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Thrombospondins / pharmacology
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Wnt Signaling Pathway / drug effects
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Wnt Signaling Pathway / genetics
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Wnt3A Protein / pharmacology*
Substances
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Atoh1 protein, mouse
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Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors
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Gt(ROSA)26Sor non-coding RNA, mouse
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Lgr5 protein, mouse
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Myo7a protein, mouse
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Myosin VIIa
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Proteins
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RNA, Messenger
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RNA, Untranslated
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RSPO1 protein, mouse
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Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
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SOXB1 Transcription Factors
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Sox2 protein, mouse
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Thrombospondins
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Wnt3A Protein
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Wnt3a protein, mouse
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Green Fluorescent Proteins
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Thermolysin
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Myosins
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Bromodeoxyuridine