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Nestin expression in the developing rat cochlea sensory epithelia
Ken Kojima1, Shinji Takebayashi, Takayuki Nakagawa
1Department of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Acta Oto-Laryngologica. Supplementum
|April 14, 2004
Summary
Nestin, an immature cell marker, is transiently expressed in developing rat cochlear sensory cells. This expression correlates with cell plasticity, such as proliferation and differentiation during development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Neuroscience
- Cell biology
Background:
- Nestin is an intermediate filament (IF) used as an immature cell marker.
- Nestin is found in neural progenitors during early development.
- Proliferating otic progenitor cells express nestin in vitro, but its localization in the developing inner ear is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the ontogenetical expression and localization of nestin epitopes in the developing rat cochlea.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemical examination of nestin epitopes in the rat cochlea during development.
Main Results:
- Sensory epithelial cells in the rat organ of Corti, including hair cells and support cells, showed transient nestin immunoreactivity during the late embryonic period.
- Nestin expression in the sensory epithelia gradually disappeared after birth.
Conclusions:
- Nestin expression in the developing cochlea is associated with the plasticity of sensory epithelial cells.
- This plasticity includes processes like proliferation and differentiation.