Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 18, 2026
08:17
Three-dimensional Organotypic Cultures of Vestibular and Auditory Sensory Organs
Published on: June 1, 2018
8.6K
Coupling between spatial compartments integrates morphogenetic patterning in the organ of Corti.
Anubhav Prakash1,2, Sukanya Raman1, Raman Kaushik1
1National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India.
Plos Biology
|September 9, 2025
Summary
Tissue shape relies on cell organization. This study reveals how adhesion molecules and planar cell polarity (PCP) protein Vangl2 coordinate cellular rearrangements in the mouse auditory organ of Corti (OC) for robust development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Auditory Neuroscience
Background:
- Tissue morphogenesis requires precise spatio-temporal control of cellular behaviors.
- The principles governing the organization of morphogenetic information remain largely unknown.
- The mouse auditory organ of Corti (OC) provides a model for studying spatial scale coordination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the principles of morphogenetic information organization in the mouse OC.
- To understand how cellular properties and emergent behaviors contribute to tissue shape.
- To elucidate the role of planar cell polarity (PCP) in coordinating cellular organization across scales.
Main Methods:
- Genetic analysis and ex vivo studies of the mouse auditory epithelium.
- Investigation of adhesion molecule expression patterns.
- Compartment-specific knockouts of the PCP protein Vangl2.
Main Results:
- Adhesion molecules pattern the OC into sensory and non-sensory domains, creating compartments.
- Planar cell polarity (PCP) cues regulate compartment-specific organization.
- Disruption of PCP in one compartment non-linearly influences another, demonstrating compartment coupling.
- Compartment coupling is mediated by vinculin-dependent junctional mechanics.
Conclusions:
- Adhesion molecules and PCP signaling establish spatially defined compartments within the OC.
- Compartment coupling, driven by junctional mechanics, coordinates cellular dynamics across spatial scales.
- This mechanism ensures robust and reproducible tissue shaping during auditory development.
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