eLife: An easier way to create sensory auditory cells

, July 8, 2020 /
BIOON,
Biovalleys // -- Scientists Neil Segil and Justin Ichida at the University of Southern California'sStem CellLaboratory are whispering the secrets of a simple way to create inner ear sensory cellsTheir approach is to produce sensory cells called "hair cells" by direct reprogramming, because hair cells can sense sound waves by protrusions like hairThe study was published recently in the journal eLife"We have succeeded in reprogramming several types of mouse cells directly into what we call induced hair cell-cell cells (iHCs) directly," said Louise Menendez, a doctoral student and lead author of thestudyThis allows us to effectively produce a large number of iHCs to identify the causes and treatments for hearing loss"
scientists successfully reprogrammed three different types of mouse cells into iHCsThe first two types are two different connective tissue cells -- fibroblastsThe third is a different type of inner ear cell, called support cellphoto source: Yassan Abdolazimi
For "reprogramming," scientists exposed fibroblasts and supporting cells to a mixture of four transcription factors, a molecule that helps communicate instructions encoded in DNAThe scientists identified the cocktail reprogramming method by testing different combinations of 16 highly active transcription factors in the hair cells of newborn micethese four key components proved to be transcription factors Six1, Atoh1, Pou4f3 and Gfi1the resulting iHCs are similar to naturally occurring hair cells in terms of structure, electrophysiological and genetic activity iHCs also have several other distinct features of hair cells, including the vulnerability of a antibiotic known to cause hearing loss hair cells are easily damaged and are currently unrepairable in humans Aging, loud noises, certain chemotherapy drugs and antibiotic
can lead to permanent loss of hair cells, which are the leading causes of hearing loss worldwide in the near future, researchers could use iHCs to screen for a large number of drug candidates that may prevent or treat hearing loss In the future, it is possible to directly reprogram the ear-supporting cells in the deaf body as a way to restore hearing (BioValleyBioon.com) References: Scientists find a simpler way to make sensory hearing cells
Louise Menendez et al.
Generation of the inner ear hair cells by direct lineage conversion of primary somatic cells , eLife (2020) DOI: 10.7554/eLife.55249 Journal Information: eLife