During development, sensory hair cells (HCs) in the cochlea assemble a stereociliary hair bundle on their apical surface with planar polarized structure and orientation. We have recently identified a non-canonical, Wnt/G-protein/PI3K signaling pathway that promotes cochlear outgrowth and coordinates planar polarization of the HC apical cytoskeleton and alignment of HC orientation across the cochlear epithelium. Here, we determined the involvement of the kinase Gsk3β and the small GTPase Rac1 in non-canonical Wnt signaling and its regulation of the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway in the cochlea. We provided the first in vivo evidence for Wnt regulation of Gsk3β activity via inhibitory Ser9 phosphorylation. Furthermore, we carried out genetic rescue experiments of cochlear defects caused by blocking Wnt secretion. We showed that cochlear outgrowth was partially rescued by genetic ablation of Gsk3β but not by expression of stabilized β-catenin; while PCP defects, including hair bundle polarity and junctional localization of the core PCP proteins Fzd6 and Dvl2, were partially rescued by either Gsk3β ablation or constitutive activation of Rac1. Our results identify Gsk3β and likely Rac1 as downstream components of non-canonical Wnt signaling and mediators of cochlear outgrowth, HC planar polarity, and localization of a subset of core PCP proteins in the cochlea.

High rates of overweight, obesity and diabetes exist among African Americans. African Americans in low‐income neighborhoods spend a significant amount of money on and get a large portion of their caloric intake from calorically dense prepared foods. We conducted customer surveys (n=29) at two carry‐outs in low‐income areas in Baltimore City to examine customer characteristics and purchasing habits of healthier options available at carry‐outs. Most customers surveyed (79%) live within two miles of the carry‐out. Among the people who visited carry‐outs more than 3 times a week, 59.1% were overweight or obese, compared to 42.9% for people who visited carry‐outs up to 3 times per week (NS). Over half of the respondents (60.7%) reported convenience as one of the main reasons for coming to the carryout, and better quality (35.7%), taste of foods (35.7%), and lower cost (14.3%) were other reasons. When customers were asked how often they ate healthier options at carry‐outs, respondents indicated an average intake of two chicken sandwiches, one turkey sandwich, 2.4 servings of cooked greens, 3.6 servings of fresh fruit and 6 bottles of water per week. These findings provide guidance for developing intervention strategies that will be acceptable to the population and feasible to implement.Grant Funding Source: Diabetes Research and Traning Center

A high proportion of the diet of low income urban African Americans comes from conveniently located prepared food sources. However, little information is available on the menu selection of the hundreds of carry‐out restaurants located in low income areas of Baltimore. We conducted an assessment of healthy food options available in carryouts in the low income neighborhoods of East and West Baltimore using an observational checklist. We assessed 144 prepared food sources to determine their healthy menu score (# of lower fat and/or lower sugar foods offered out of 42 possible). The mean menu score was 9.2, ranging from 1 to 18, out of 42. Despite our overall findings, a few healthier food items were commonly found on menus, including 77.8% offering low fat turkey/chicken, 71.5% offering water, 69.4% offering diet soda, 49.3% offering grilled chicken, 47.9% offering a vegetable entrée, 37.5% offering salad with greens, and 26.4% offering cooked greens. These findings will be used to develop an intervention to increase the availability of healthy options in local carry‐outs by focusing on foods that have already been shown to be acceptable to consumers.Grant Funding Source: Diabetes Research and Translation Center