Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 18, 2025
07:07
Evaluation of Planar-Cell-Polarity Phenotypes in Ciliopathy Mouse Mutant Cochlea
Published on: February 21, 2016
10.6K
Wnt/PKC Signaling Inhibits Sensory Hair Cell Formation in the Developing Mammalian Cochlea.
Joanna F Mulvaney1, Erynn M Layman2, Farhana Feroze-Merzoug3
1Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, 2075 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
Cells
|June 25, 2025
Summary
Wnt4 and sFRP2 regulate sensory cell development in the mammalian cochlea. This study identifies a novel Wnt/Calcium/PKC pathway crucial for forming the organ of Corti and its hair cells.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Cell signaling
- Oto-laryngology
Background:
- Cell fate determination and boundary establishment are critical during development.
- A defined boundary separates sensory and non-sensory cells in the mammalian cochlea.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the roles of Wnt4 and sFRP2 in cochlear sensory cell differentiation.
- To elucidate the signaling pathway mediating Wnt4's effects on hair cell development.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of Wnt4 and sFRP2 function in cochlear development.
- Investigation of the Wnt/Calcium/PKC pathway activation.
- Assessment of Protein Kinase C (PKC) inhibition and Atoh1 modification.
Main Results:
- Wnt4 and sFRP2 collaboratively modulate sensory cell differentiation in the organ of Corti.
- Wnt4's hair cell inhibitory effects are mediated by the non-canonical Wnt/Calcium/PKC pathway.
- PKC activation by Wnt4 was observed, and its inhibition rescued ectopic Wnt4 phenotypes.
- Modification of a PKC target site on Atoh1 reduced its hair cell induction capacity.
Conclusions:
- A novel non-canonical Wnt/Calcium/PKC signaling pathway is identified.
- This pathway is essential for proper hair cell and organ of Corti formation in the developing mammalian cochlea.
Related Concept Videos
01:41Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways
7.4K
Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...
7.4K
02:54Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway
9.0K
The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which...
9.0K
01:22Hair Cells
41.4K
Hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system—they transduce mechanical sound waves into electrical energy that the nervous system can understand. Hair cells are located in the organ of Corti within the cochlea of the inner ear, between the basilar and tectorial membranes. The actual sensory receptors are called inner hair cells. The outer hair cells serve other functions, such as sound amplification in the cochlea, and are not discussed in detail here.
41.4K
01:13The Cochlea
46.0K
The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.
46.0K
02:33Hedgehog Signaling Pathway
7.5K
The Hedgehog gene (Hh) was first discovered due to its control of the growth of disorganized, hair-like bristles phenotype in Drosophila, much like hedgehog spines. Hh plays a crucial role in the development of organs and the maintenance of homeostasis in both invertebrates and vertebrates. However, while Drosophila has only one Hh protein, mammals have multiple functional Hedgehog proteins - Sonic (Shh), Desert (Dhh), and Indian Hedgehog (Ihh). All of these homologous proteins have adapted to...
7.5K
03:14Notch Signaling Pathway
4.5K
The Notch signaling pathway is a major intracellular signaling pathway that is highly conserved over a broad spectrum of metazoan species. It stands unique from other intracellular signaling mechanisms in animals because notch protein itself acts as the receptor as well as the primary signaling molecule.
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not...
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not...
4.5K