Differentiation of adult mouse olfactory precursor cells into hair cells in vitro

¹ Neuroscience Research Program, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia; University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
² Neuroscience Research Program, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: s.oleskevich{at}garvan.org.au.

	Abstract

Many forms of deafness result from the degeneration of sensory cells for hearing, the hair cells in the cochlea. Stem cells offer a potential cell-based therapy for the treatment of deafness. Here we investigate whether adult olfactory precursor cells can differentiate into hair cells in culture. Precursor cells were isolated from mouse olfactory neuroepithelium, were sphere-forming, showed proliferative capacity and contained cells expressing neuronal and non-neuronal proteins. To induce differentiation, precursor cells were co-cultured with cochlear cells and/or cochlear supernatant. Differentiated precursor cells were immunopositive for specific hair cell markers, including myosin VIIa, FM1-43, calretinin, phalloidin and espin, and resembled hair cells in culture anatomically and immunocytochemically. The results demonstrate for the first time that adult olfactory precursor cells can differentiate into hair cell-like cells, thus providing a potential autotransplantation therapy for hearing loss.

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