Just wanted to share the latest news on ear hair cell regeneration! Here’s a synopsis of the study:
<<The zebrafish has emerged as a powerful model for studying sensory hair cell regeneration. Like other fish, zebrafish contain a network of sensory hair cells throughout their body to detect changes in water movement. The hair cells are located in small organs in the skin called neuromasts, which also contains cell types that are remarkably similar to those found in the mammalian inner ear. To study the genetic program of hair cell regeneration in zebrafish, we sequenced the RNA of individual cells within neuromasts, allowing us to classify cell types based on their gene expression signature. This included cells transitioning from support cells to fully mature sensory hair cells, thereby identifying new genes that are expressed during hair cell development. In addition, we characterized the role of the growth factor fgf3, and found that it acts to inhibit hair cell progenitor proliferation. Our results were published in the journal eLife on Jan. 25, 2019. Future work will examine the function of these genes in sensory hair cell regeneration.>>
Having been born BALD as an EGG in my inner ears (and no wonder I have sensorineural hearing loss!), I’m always daydreaming about the day when these hairs can be regenerated.