Gene expression changes during step-wise differentiation of embryonic stem cells along the inner ear hair cell pathway

Conclusion. Our study outlines an alternative approach for the selection and investigation of genes involved in inner ear function. Objective. To gain understanding of the gene pathways involved in the development of the normal cochlea. Materials and methods. Microarray technology currently offers the most efficient approach to investigate gene expression and identify pathways involved in cell differentiation. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) induces cultures derived from the organ of Corti to proliferate and produce new hair cells. Since pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells have the capacity to generate all tissues, we induced murine ES cells to differentiate towards ectodermal and neuroectodermal cell types and from there investigated their commitment towards the hair cell lineage in the presence of EGF. Cells were collected at three points along the differentiation pathway and their expression profiles were determined using the Soares NMIE mouse inner ear cDNA library printed in microarray format. Results. Three genes up-regulated after addition of EGF (serine (or cysteine) proteinase inhibitor, clade H, member 1 (Serpinh1), solute carrier family 2 (facilitated glucose transporter), member 10 (Slc2a10) and secreted acidic cysteine-rich glycoprotein (Sparc)) were selected for further analysis and characterization. Of the three genes, Serpinh1 and Slc2a10 have never been implicated in the hearing process.     

人脂肪源性间充质干细胞向内耳毛细胞定向诱导分化的实验研究

目的 验证在体外将人脂肪源性间充质干细胞(human adipose-derived mesenchymalstem cells,hAD-MSC)定向分化为内耳毛细胞的可行性.方法 用特定的培养体系配合多种细胞因子定向诱导hAD-MSC向神经干/祖细胞样细胞分化,而后进一步将诱导后细胞与发育期鸡胚听泡细胞在体外进行共培养,以促使其向内耳毛细胞分化,通过免疫组化等方法对分化不同阶段的细胞特异性指标进行鉴定.结果 hAD-MSC诱导后呈现神经干/祖细胞样的形态并表达其特异性标志,与发育期鸡胚听泡细胞共培养后表达内耳毛细胞特异性标志.结论 hAD-MSC在体外可定向诱导分化为具有内耳毛细胞特异性标志的毛细胞样细胞.     

体外诱导大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞向内耳毛细胞样细胞分化的研究

目的 探讨体外定向诱导大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞向耳蜗毛细胞样细胞分化的可行性.方法 分离培养大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞,并加以鉴定.分离出生1～3 d的乳鼠耳蜗Corti器,与骨髓间充质干细胞在体外共培养14 d.通过反转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)和免疫细胞化学染色对分化细胞的特异性分子指标(myosinⅦa、math1及calretinin)进行鉴定.结果 免疫细胞化学染色显示诱导分化后的细胞myosinⅦa、math1和calretinin表达阳性,RT-PCR提示分化后的细胞可表达毛细胞的标志物myosinⅦa和math1.结论 体外培养的骨髓间充质干细胞可诱导分化为具有毛细胞分子标志物的毛细胞样细胞.     

经鼓阶胚胎干细胞内耳导入的初步观察

目的观察未经体外诱导的胚胎十细胞（embyonic stem cells,ESC）导入听力正常大鼠内耳的可行性以及导入后的存活和分布情况,为ESC内耳移植治疗由毛细胞缺失导致的感音神经性耳聋提供实验基础和理论依据。方法5—6周龄Wistar大鼠,10只,右耳为实验耳：经鼓阶打孔法植入带有绿色荧光蛋白（EGFP）的ESCs;左耳为对照组,不实施手术。术前1周与术后即刻行听性脑干反应（ABR）检查,取双侧耳蜗做冰冻切片,观察ESCs植入内耳后存活和分布情况。结果术后动物存活8只,麻醉效果好无干扰完整测完ABR动物5只。鼓阶打孔途径导入耳蜗的ESCs大部分于鼓阶聚集悬浮,少数可在鼓阶基底膜嵴和鼓阶外侧壁处贴壁;未在柯替器等中阶部位巾发现有ESCs的分布。ABR检测结果显示鼓阶打孔途径导入方法对大鼠听力影响较小。结论胚胎干细胞可经耳蜗底转鼓阶打孔途径导入耳蜗。干细胞在内耳成功存活,并且对内耳损伤小,因此。它可以作为内耳细胞移植的重要方式。     

Triggers of hair cell regeneration in the avian inner ear

We performed an in vitro study in order to determine possible triggers of hair cell regeneration in the chick basilar papilla following degeneration. We compared the response of sensory epithelium damaged by collagenase treatment with that damaged by acoustic trauma. The former exhibited no proliferative activity, but the latter did. The basilar papillae damaged by acoustic trauma could have proliferating activity in medium containing fetal bovine serum (FBS) or epidermal growth factor (EGF) but not in the medium without FBS or EGF. These findings indicate that regeneration of basilar papillae depends on the manner of cell death and that FBS or EGF is required for regeneration.     

鸡内耳毛细胞标志物的比较研究

目的：为研究内耳毛细胞发育和再生提供有价值的标志物。方法：新生鸡内耳冷冻切片,间接免疫荧光细胞化学技术染色毛细胞抗原（HCA）、Espin和肌浆球蛋白7a基因,观察上述基因在毛细胞中的表达部位和强度。结果：HCA、Espin和肌浆球蛋白7a在听毛细胞和前庭毛细胞均表达;HCA染色毛细胞顶部和纤毛,Espin染色毛细胞纤毛和皮板,肌浆球蛋白7a为典型的细胞质染色。结论：HCA、Espin和肌浆球蛋白7a基因是研究毛细胞发育和再生的理想标志物,结合肌动蛋白-F染色毛细胞纤毛可以更好地定性和定量研究内耳毛细胞发育和再生。     

The progenitors of inner ear hair cells and their regulating genes

Hair cells in the mammalian inner ear are very fragile and are often injured as a result of acoustic trauma or exposure to ototoxic drugs (cisplatin, aminoglycosides, etc)[1]. In amphibians and birds, spontaneous post-injury regeneration of all inner ear sensory hair cell occurs, while in the mammalian cochlea, such hearing loss is usually permanent as there are currently no treatments that can lead to post-injury hair cell regeneration.     

Salicylate-induced morphological changes of isolated inner hair cells and outer hair cells from guinea-pig cochlea

Objectives

The aim of this study is to investigate the salicylate-induced morphological changes of cochlear inner hair cells (IHCs) and outer hair cells (OHCs).

Methods

IHCs and OHCs were acutely isolated from the guinea-pig cochlea. Cells were observed under the inverted microscope and 10 mmol/L sodium salicylate solutions or 0.01 mmol/L dexamethasone-plus-salicylate solutions were applied. The cell length or the ratio between the length and width was the indices of the morphological changes in cells.

Results

Isolated IHCs did not demonstrate any significant changes in sodium salicylate solutions in 20 min and in 40 min, whereas OHCs were shortened by the 10 mmol/L sodium salicylate to 83% in 20 min and 75% in 40 min. There were no significant differences between in the dexamethasone-plus-salicylate solutions and in the control solutions after 20 min and 40 min both in IHCs and OHCs.

Conclusions

Although salicylate affected the isolated OHCs from guinea-pig cochlea, IHCs were not changed morphologically by sodium salicylate applications. Dexamethasone inhibited the salicylate-induced morphological changes of OHCs.     

Transplantation of neural stem cells into explants of rat inner ear

Damage and loss of hair cells in the inner ear is the most frequent cause of hearing loss and balance disorders. Mammalian hair cells do not regenerate in the conventional ways. To regenerate the hair cell in the mammalian inner ear we transplanted neural stem cells into explants of rat inner ear. The stem cells integrated successfully into the sensory epithelium of the vestibular organs, but not into the organ of Corti. This method is useful to investigate efficient ways to transplant stem cells into the inner ear.     

The effect of hair bundle shape on hair bundle hydrodynamics of non-mammalian inner ear hair cells for the full frequency range

The effect of the size and the shape of the hair bundle of a hair cell in the inner ear of non-mammals on its motion for the full range of frequencies is determined thereby extending the results of a previous analysis of hair bundle motion for high and low frequencies [Hear Res. 141 (2000) 39-50]. A hemispheroid is used to represent the hair bundle because it can represent a full range of shapes, from thin, pencil-like shapes to wide, flat, disk-like shapes. Boundary element methods are used to approximate the solution for the hydrodynamics. For physiologically relevant parameters, an excellent match is obtained between the model's predictions and measurements of hair bundle motion in the free-standing region of the basilar papilla of the alligator lizard [Aranyosi, Measuring sound-induced motions of the alligator lizard cochlea. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, PhD Thesis, 2002]. Neither in the model's predictions nor in experimental measurements is sharp tuning observed. The model predicted the low frequency region of neural tuning curves for the alligator lizard and bobtail lizard, but could not predict the sharp tuning or the high frequency region. An element that represents an active mechanism is added to the hair bundle model to predict neural tuning curves, which are sharply tuned, and an excellent match is obtained for all the characteristics of neural tuning curves for the alligator lizard, and for the low and high frequency regions for the bobtail lizard. The model does not predict well the sharp tuning of the shorter hair bundles of the bobtail lizard, possibly because it does not represent tectorial sallets.     

听觉损伤后毛细胞再生与聋病基因治疗策略

听觉损伤可引起耳蜗毛细胞和听觉神经元的不可逆性损伤,从而导致永久性的感音神经性耳聋。虽然内耳所独具的结构是基因治疗非常独特和重要的靶器官,但能否实现损伤后毛细胞的再生是其前提条件。国内外研究者们做了大量的探索并取得重要突破,从非哺乳动物到哺乳动物毛细胞再生,从前庭毛细胞到耳蜗毛细胞再生,从未成熟期到成年期毛细胞再生,从离体培养毛细胞再生到在体毛细胞再生,整整经历了近半个世纪。但是毛细胞的再生并不等同于听力完全恢复。针对内耳基因治疗时间窗问题,我们根据听觉损伤后不同的病理状态,提出听觉损伤后毛细胞再生和基因治疗的基本策略：（1）毛细胞纤毛损伤阶段,是基因治疗的最好时机,通过完全修复或纤毛再生达到功能的完全或部分恢复;（2）内耳毛细胞虽有损伤但没有坏死,支持细胞和神经纤维基本正常,所以有恢复形态和功能的机会,这个阶段导入Math1基因应该有效,是基因治疗的最关键时机;（3）毛细胞严重损伤但支持细胞尚存,是毛细胞再生的抢救阶段,而且还可以争取在Corti器细胞构架没有塌陷之前进行干细胞导入,所以这个阶段内细胞移植可能有效地实现听力恢复;（4）Corti器完全失去构架,仅仅残留上皮层或瘢痕化,基因导入完全无效,即使干细胞导入也会面临困难,如何重塑Corti器构架是巨大挑战。为了实现耳聋基因治疗临床应用的可能性。我们还探索了最有效简便的外源基因内耳导入方式以及高效安全可靠的基因载体比如纳米载体的研发。毛细胞再生研究已经取得突破性进展,但还面临诸多挑战。通过不懈的努力,聋病基因治疗的最终临床应用一定会实现。     

The effect of hair bundle shape on hair bundle hydrodynamics of inner ear hair cells at low and high frequencies

The relationship between size and shape of the hair bundle of a hair cell in the inner ear and its sensitivity at asymptotically high and low frequencies was determined, thereby extending the results of an analysis of hair bundle hydrodynamics in two dimensions (Freeman and Weiss, 1990. Hydrodynamic analysis of a two-dimensional model for micromechanical resonance of free-standing hair bundles. Hear. Res. 48, 37-68) to three dimensions. A hemispheroid was used to represent the hair bundle. The hemispheroid had a number of advantages: it could represent shapes that range from thin, pencil-like shapes, to wide, flat, disk-like shapes. Also analytic methods could be used in the high frequency range to obtain an exact solution to the equations of motion. In the low frequency range, where an approximate solution was found using boundary element methods, the sensitivity of the responses of hair cells was mainly proportional to the cube of the heights of their hair bundles, and at high frequencies, the sensitivity of the hair cells was mainly proportional to the inverse of their heights. An excellent match was obtained between measurements of sensitivity curves in the basillar papilla of the alligator and bobtail lizards and the model's predictions. These results also suggest why hair bundles of hair cells in vestibular organs which are sensitive to low frequencies have ranges of heights that are an order of magnitude larger than the range of heights of hair bundles of hair cells found in auditory organs.     

The potential role of endogenous stem cells in regeneration of the inner ear

Stem cells in various mammalian organs retain the capacity to renew themselves and may be able to restore damaged tissue. Their existence has been proven by genetic tracer studies that demonstrate their differentiation into multiple tissue types and by their ability to self-renew through proliferation. Stem cells from the adult nervous system proliferate to form clonal floating colonies called spheres in vitro, and recent studies have demonstrated sphere formation by cells in the cochlea in addition to the vestibular system and the auditory ganglia, indicating that these tissues contain cells with stem cell properties. The presence of stem cells in the inner ear raises the hope of regeneration of mammalian inner ear cells but is difficult to correlate with the lack of spontaneous regeneration seen in the inner ear after tissue damage. Loss of stem cells postnatally in the cochlea may correlate with the loss of regenerative capacity and may limit our ability to stimulate regeneration. Retention of sphere forming ability in adult vestibular tissues suggests that the limited capacity for repair may be attributed to the continued presence of progenitor cells. Future strategies for regeneration must consider the distribution of endogenous stem cells in the inner ear and whether the tissue retains cells with the capacity for regeneration.     

鸡内耳基底乳头毛细胞的透射电镜观察

了解鸡内耳基底乳头毛细胞的超微结构对其电生理及其毛细胞再生的研究有重要意义。为此应用透射电镜对成年鸡内耳基底乳头毛细胞的超微结构进行观察，依据毛细胞的形态、表皮板的大小及其神经分布的特点，可将毛细胞分为：高毛细胞、过渡型毛细胞和矮毛细胞。从基底乳头的上缘到其下缘，每个毛细胞的静纤毛呈楼梯状增高排列。该文并对毛细胞的表皮板及纤毛在耳蜗生理中的作用进行了初步的探讨。     

Round window gentamicin application: an inner ear hair cell damage protocol for the mouse

It is important to develop an inner ear damage protocol for mice that avoids systemic toxicity and produces damage in a relatively rapid fashion, allowing for study of early cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for hair cell death and those that underlie the lack of hair cell regeneration in mammals. Ideally, this damage protocol would reliably produce both partial and complete lesions of the sensory epithelium. We present a method for in vivo induction of hair cell damage in the mouse via placement of gentamicin-soaked Gelfoam in the round window niche of the inner ear, an adaptation of a method developed to study hair cell regeneration in chicks. A total of 82 subjects underwent the procedure. Variable doses of gentamicin were used (25, 50, 100 and 200 microg). Saline-soaked Gelfoam, sham-operations and the contralateral, non-operated cochlea were used as controls. Survival periods were 1, 3 and 14 days. Damage was assessed on scanning electron microscopy. We found that this method produces relatively rapid hair cell damage that varies with dose and can extend the entire length of the sensory epithelium. In addition, this protocol produces no systemic toxicity and preserves the contralateral ear as a control.