The loss of sensory hair cells from the human inner ear is a leading cause of hearing and balance deficits. The potential for sensory regeneration in the human ear is very limited, but hair cells in the ears of many no mammalian vertebrates can quickly regenerate after injury. A complete understanding of the basic biology of this regenerative process should suggest methods for promoting similar forms of regeneration in the human ear. The overall goals of this study are to identify the molecular signaling pathways that regulate the regeneration of hair cells and their sensory neurons. Our recent work has suggested that cell-cell interactions mediated by the adhesion molecule N-cadherin are a key regulator of sensory regeneration. Experiments proposed here will examine two specific signaling pathways that are known to be activated by N-cadherin interactions. Present data suggest that N-cadherin may regulate either (1) the cellular translocation of Beta-catenin from cell-cell junctions to cell nuclei, and/or (2) activation of the c-Jun kinase (JNK) signaling pathway. We suspect that both of these pathways might act in parallel to regulate the regenerative proliferation of inner ear supporting cells. Other experiments will examine the possible involvement of Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) signaling in the regenerative process. Our pilot data have demonstrated that most of the molecular constituents of the SHH pathway are present in the avian vestibular organs during the early stages of regeneration. We hypothesize that SHH may act as an endogenously produced mitogen in the avian ear during regeneration. A related project will focus on the regeneration of sensory neurons in the vestibular organs. In order to restore sensory function, regenerated hair cells need to establish precise synaptic contacts with afferent neurons. We hypothesize that a signaling molecule that inhibits neuronal growth is produced within the reversal zone of the striola in the utricle. Significantly, we have identified a transcription factor that is uniquely expressed in this region throughout the regenerative process. We propose a series of experiments that are aimed at identification of guidance cues that afferent neurons use to navigate to replacement hair cells during the regenerative process. Knowledge of how afferent neurons are guided to their targets may suggest new methods for enhancing the neural interface of auditory and vestibular prostheses.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DC006283-04
Application #
7218005
Study Section
Auditory System Study Section (AUD)
Program Officer
Freeman, Nancy
Project Start
2004-04-01
Project End
2009-03-31
Budget Start
2007-04-01
Budget End
2008-03-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2007
Total Cost
$330,039
Indirect Cost
Name
Washington University
Department
Otolaryngology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
068552207
City
Saint Louis
State
MO
Country
United States
Zip Code
63130
Ohlemiller, Kevin K; Kaur, Tejbeer; Warchol, Mark E et al. (2018) The endocochlear potential as an indicator of reticular lamina integrity after noise exposure in mice. Hear Res 361:138-151
Kaur, Tejbeer; Ohlemiller, Kevin K; Warchol, Mark E (2018) Genetic disruption of fractalkine signaling leads to enhanced loss of cochlear afferents following ototoxic or acoustic injury. J Comp Neurol 526:824-835
Hirose, Keiko; Rutherford, Mark A; Warchol, Mark E (2017) Two cell populations participate in clearance of damaged hair cells from the sensory epithelia of the inner ear. Hear Res 352:70-81
Warchol, Mark E; Stone, Jennifer; Barton, Matthew et al. (2017) ADAM10 and ?-secretase regulate sensory regeneration in the avian vestibular organs. Dev Biol 428:39-51
Kaur, Tejbeer; Zamani, Darius; Tong, Ling et al. (2015) Fractalkine Signaling Regulates Macrophage Recruitment into the Cochlea and Promotes the Survival of Spiral Ganglion Neurons after Selective Hair Cell Lesion. J Neurosci 35:15050-61
Kaur, Tejbeer; Hirose, Keiko; Rubel, Edwin W et al. (2015) Macrophage recruitment and epithelial repair following hair cell injury in the mouse utricle. Front Cell Neurosci 9:150
Tong, Ling; Strong, Melissa K; Kaur, Tejbeer et al. (2015) Selective deletion of cochlear hair cells causes rapid age-dependent changes in spiral ganglion and cochlear nucleus neurons. J Neurosci 35:7878-91
Ku, Yuan-Chieh; Renaud, Nicole A; Veile, Rose A et al. (2014) The transcriptome of utricle hair cell regeneration in the avian inner ear. J Neurosci 34:3523-35
Slattery, Eric L; Oshima, Kazuo; Heller, Stefan et al. (2014) Cisplatin exposure damages resident stem cells of the mammalian inner ear. Dev Dyn 243:1328-37
Huh, Sung-Ho; Jones, Jennifer; Warchol, Mark E et al. (2012) Differentiation of the lateral compartment of the cochlea requires a temporally restricted FGF20 signal. PLoS Biol 10:e1001231

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