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The Journal of Neuroscience, March 15, 1999, 19(6):2161-2170
Immunocytochemical and Morphological Evidence for Intracellular
Self-Repair as an Important Contributor to Mammalian Hair Cell
Recovery
J. Lisa
Zheng1,
Gilbert
Keller2, and
Wei-Qiang
Gao1
Departments of 1 Neuroscience and
2 Pharmacokinetics and Metabolism, Genentech, South San
Francisco, California 94080
Although recent studies have provided evidence for hair cell
regeneration in mammalian inner ears, the mechanism underlying this
regenerative process is still under debate. Here we report immunocytochemical, histological, electron microscopic, and
autoradiographic evidence that, in cultured postnatal rat utricles, a
substantial number of hair cells can survive gentamicin insult even
their stereocilia are lost. These partially damaged hair cells can
survive for a prolonged time and regrow the stereocilia. Although the number of stereocilia-bearing hair cells increases over time after gentamicin insult, hair cell and supporting cell numbers remain essentially unchanged. Tritiated thymidine autoradiography and bromodeoxyuridine immunocytochemistry of the cultures
demonstrate that cell proliferation in the sensory epithelium is very
limited and is far below the number of recovered hair cells.
Furthermore, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated
biotinylated UTP nick end labeling analysis indicates that
gentamicin-induced apoptosis in the sensory epithelium occurs mainly
during a 2 d treatment period, and additional cell death is
minimal 2-11 d after treatment. Considered together, intracellular
repair of partially damaged hair cells can be an important contributor
to spontaneous hair cell recovery in mammalian inner ears.
Key words:
hair cells; supporting cells; regeneration; self-repair; apoptosis; proliferation; vestibular; utricle; inner ear; gentamicin; autoradiography
Copyright © 1999 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/99/1962161-10$05.00/0
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