Trophic and temporal dynamics of macrophage biology in human inner ear organogenesis.

ABSTRACT: Recent single-cell transcriptomic approaches are uncovering the breadth and depth of cell diversity within the mammalian inner ear. Macrophages, detected from fetal week 5 in the human inner ear, persist into adulthood and yet remain poorly understood in terms of their origin and function. Using self-generated and public scRNA-seq data, we identified seven distinct macrophage subtypes spanning fetal weeks 7.5 to 16.4 and adulthood. Each macrophage subtype is linked to specific developmental stages and displays a unique gene expression profile. These findings corroborate earlier histological evidence of resident and non-resident macrophages in both the developing and adult human cochlea. We also showed that the human inner ear is seeded by macrophages from both embryonic and more definitive

SUBMITTER: Deng Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12669117 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature