Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 12, 2026
Culture of Embryonic Mouse Cochlear Explants and Gene Transfer by Electroporation
Published on: January 12, 2015
Insights into inner ear-specific gene regulation: Epigenetics and non-coding RNAs in inner ear development and
Angelika Doetzlhofer1, Karen B Avraham2
1The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, the Center for Sensory Biology, the Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Abstract:
The vertebrate inner ear houses highly specialized sensory organs, tuned to detect and encode sound, head motion and gravity. Gene expression programs under the control of transcription factors orchestrate the formation and specialization of the non-sensory inner ear labyrinth and its sensory constituents. More recently, epigenetic factors and non-coding RNAs emerged as an additional layer of gene regulation, both in inner ear development and disease. In this review, we provide an overview on how epigenetic modifications and non-coding RNAs, in particular microRNAs (miRNAs), influence gene expression and summarize recent discoveries that highlight their critical role in the proper formation of the inner ear labyrinth and its sensory organs. Finally, we discuss recent insights into how epigenetic factors and miRNAs may facilitate, or in the case of mammals, restrict inner ear sensory hair cell regeneration.
Related Concept Videos
01:37Epigenetic Regulation
X-chromosome...
01:46Epigenetic Regulation
01:46Epigenetic Regulation
01:23Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps
01:36What is Gene Expression?
01:42What is Gene Expression?
Gene expression is the process in which DNA directs the synthesis of functional products, that is, proteins. Cells can regulate gene expression at various stages. It allows organisms to generate different cell types and enables cells to adapt to internal and external factors.
Genetic Information Flows from DNA to RNA to Protein
A gene is a stretch of DNA that serves as the blueprint for functional RNAs and proteins. Since DNA is made up of nucleotides and proteins consist of amino...