Follistatin regulates the specification of the apical cochlea responsible for low-frequency hearing in mammals.

ABSTRACT: The cochlea's ability to discriminate sound frequencies is facilitated by a special topography along its longitudinal axis known as tonotopy. Auditory hair cells located at the base of the cochlea respond to high-frequency sounds, whereas hair cells at the apex respond to lower frequencies. Gradual changes in morphological and physiological features along the length of the cochlea determine each region's frequency selectivity, but it remains unclear how tonotopy is established during cochlear development. Recently, sonic hedgehog (SHH) was proposed to initiate the establishment of tonotopy by conferring regional identity to the primordial cochlea. Here, using mouse genetics, we provide in vivo evidence that regional identity in the embryonic cochlea acts as a framework upon which tonotopy-

SUBMITTER: Koo HY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9910458 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature