Inner ear neurons develop from the otic placode and connect hair cells with central neurons in auditory brain stem nuclei. Otic neurogenesis is a developmental process which can be separated into different cellular states that are characterized by a distinct combination of molecular markers. Neurogenesis is highly regulated by a network of extrinsic and intrinsic factors, whose participation in auditory neurogenesis is discussed. Trophic factors include the fibroblast growth factor, neurotrophins and insulin-like peptide families. The expression domains of transcription factor families and their roles in the regulation of intracellular signaling pathways associated with neurogenesis are also discussed. Understanding and defining the key factors and gene networks in the development and function of the inner ear represents an important step towards defeating deafness.
KEY WORDS: otic neurogenesis, IGF-I, FGF, inner ear, auditory ganglion, cochlear microarray
Otic neurogenesisThe inner ear develops from the otic placode, an ectodermal patch located close to the neural tube that invaginates to form a transitory structure, the otic cup. This cup subsequently closes and pinches off from the ectoderm to generate the otic vesicle ( Figure 1). The otic vesicle is an autonomous structure that contains the information required to generate most of the cell types and structures of the adult inner ear (Bissonnette and Fekete, 1996;Bever et al., 2003; reviewed in Varela-Nieto et al., 2004). The mammalian inner ear is composed of six distinct sensory organs: the three cristae of the semicircular canal, the two maculae of the saccule and utricle and the organ of Corti in the cochlea. The cristae and the maculae are vestibular organs, whereas the organ of Corti is the organ of hearing (reviewed in Moller, 2006). The inner ear cochlear ganglion is formed by bipolar neurons that connect the peripheral sensory receptors or hair cells with central neurons in auditory brain stem nuclei. The correct organogenesis of the inner ear involves a dynamic balance of cell proliferation, differentiation, survival and death, processes that are tightly regulated by a network of extrinsic and intrinsic factors (Frago et al., 2000;Varela-Nieto et al., 2003 andLeon et al., 2004).The process of otic neurogenesis can be separated into different cellular states, each characterized by a distinct combination of molecular markers (summarized in Figure 1A). The first Int. J. Dev. Biol. 51: 557-570 (2007) doi: 10.1387/ijdb.072373hs visible output of otic neurogenesis is the delamination of neural cells (otic neuroblasts) from the otic cup (Fig. 1B). These neuroblasts are committed to generate otic neurons and they populate the cochleo-vestibular ganglion (CVG). This ganglion is generated from a region of the otic vesicle epithelium denominated the prospective neural-sensorial domain and that is defined by the domain in which Ngn1 and Deltal1 are co-expressed at early stages (Adam et al., 1998;Abu-Elmagd et al., 2001). It is believed that both n...