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Updated: Mar 2, 2026
09:51
Cochlear Surface Preparation in the Adult Mouse
Published on: November 6, 2019
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Autophagy is essential for hearing in mice.
Chisato Fujimoto1, Shinichi Iwasaki1, Shinji Urata1
1Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan.
Cell Death & Disease
|May 12, 2017
Summary
Basal autophagy, essential for cell recycling, is crucial for maintaining auditory hair cell function and preventing hearing loss. Its absence leads to hair cell degeneration and congenital deafness.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Cell Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Hearing loss is a prevalent sensory disorder, often caused by damage to auditory hair cells (HCs).
- Mammalian cochlear hair cells do not regenerate, making their maintenance critical for preserving hearing.
- Basal autophagy plays a vital role in cellular health and waste removal.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of basal autophagy in the maintenance of auditory hair cell morphology and function.
- To determine the impact of autophagy deficiency on hearing acuity.
Main Methods:
- Generated mice with a deficiency in autophagy-related 5 (Atg5) specifically in auditory hair cells.
- Observed hair cell morphology and auditory function in Atg5-deficient mice.
- Analyzed the accumulation of proteins and cellular aggregates in autophagy-deficient hair cells.
Main Results:
- Deletion of Atg5 in hair cells led to significant hair cell degeneration.
- Autophagy-deficient mice exhibited profound congenital hearing loss.
- Accumulation of polyubiquitinated proteins and p62/SQSTM1 as inclusion bodies was observed in deficient hair cells.
Conclusions:
- Basal autophagy is essential for maintaining the structure and function of auditory hair cells.
- Impaired autophagy in hair cells results in degeneration and hearing loss.
- Autophagy is critical for preventing the buildup of toxic protein aggregates in the cochlea.
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