Open AccessTranscriptional response to Wnt activation regulates the regenerative capacity of the mammalian cochlea
Author(s) -
Anshula Samarajeewa,
Danielle R. Lenz,
Lihong Xie,
Hao Chiang,
Rory Kirchner,
Joanna F. Mulvaney,
Albert S.B. Edge,
Alain Dabdoub
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.754
H-Index - 325
eISSN - 1477-9129
pISSN - 0950-1991
DOI - 10.1242/dev.166579
Subject(s) - wnt signaling pathway , biology , cochlea , microbiology and biotechnology , hair cell , regeneration (biology) , inner ear , signal transduction , neuroscience
Lack of sensory hair cell (HC) regeneration in mammalian adults is a major contributor to hearing loss. In contrast, the neonatal mouse cochlea retains a transient capacity for regeneration, and forced Wnt activation in neonatal stages promotes supporting cell (SC) proliferation and induction of ectopic HCs. We currently know little about the temporal pattern and underlying mechanism of this age-dependent regenerative response. Using an in vitro model, we show that Wnt activation promotes SC proliferation following birth, but prior to postnatal day (P) 5. This age-dependent decline in proliferation occurs despite evidence that the Wnt pathway is postnatally active and can be further enhanced by Wnt stimulators. Using an in vivo mouse model and RNA sequencing, we show that proliferation in the early neonatal cochlea is correlated with a unique transcriptional response that diminishes with age. Furthermore, we find that augmenting Wnt signaling through the neonatal stages extends the window for HC induction in response to Notch signaling inhibition. Our results suggest that the downstream transcriptional response to Wnt activation, in part, underlies the regenerative capacity of the mammalian cochlea.