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Updated: Aug 11, 2026
In Ovo and Ex Ovo Methods to Study Avian Inner Ear Development
Published on: June 16, 2022
Applying genomics to the avian inner ear: development of subtractive cDNA resources for exploring sensory function
R David Hawkins1, Cynthia A Helms, Julia B Winston
1Division of Human Genetics, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 4566 Scott Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Abstract:
We applied a micro-cDNA-based subtraction method to identify genes expressed in the regenerating sensory epithelia (SE) of the chicken inner ear. Sensory hair cells in the avian utricle SE are in a constant state of turnover, where dying hair cells are replaced by new ones derived from supporting cells. In contrast, hair cells in the cochlea remain quiescent unless damaged. We used this difference to enrich for utricle-specific genes, using reiterative cDNA subtraction and demonstrate enrichment for utricle-specific sequences. A total of 1710 cDNA sequence reads revealed the presence of many cDNAs encoding known structural components of the SE (for example, Harmonin and beta-tectorin), proteins involved in cellular proliferation, such as P311, HIPK2, and SPALT1, among many others of unknown function. These libraries are the first of their kind and should prove useful for the discovery of candidate genes for hearing disorders, regenerative and apoptotic pathways, and novel chicken ESTs.
