SOX2, JAGGED1, β-Catenin, and Vitamin D Receptor Expression Patterns during Early Development and Innervation of the Human Inner Ear

Abstract

Sensorineural hearing loss can be caused by lesions to the inner ear during development. Understanding the events and signaling pathways that drive inner ear formation is crucial for determining the possible causes of congenital hearing loss. We have analyzed the innervation and expression of SOX2, JAGGED1, β-catenin (CTNNB1), and vitamin D receptor (VDR) in the inner ears of human conceptuses aged 5 to 10 weeks after fertilization (W) using immunohistochemistry. The prosensory domains of the human inner ear displayed SOX2 and JAGGED1 expression throughout the analyzed period, with SOX2 expression being more extensive in all the analyzed timepoints. Innervation of vestibular prosensory domains was present at 6 W and extensive at 10 W, while nerve fibers reached the base of the cochlear prosensory domain at 7–8 W. CTNNB1 and VDR expression was mostly membranous and present during all analyzed timepoints in the inner ear, being the strongest in the non-sensory epithelium. Their expression was stronger in the vestibular region compared to the cochlear duct. CTNNB1 and VDR expression displayed opposite expression trends during the analyzed period, but additional studies are needed to elucidate whether they interact during inner ear development.