TBX2 specifies and maintains inner hair and supporting cell fate in the Organ of Corti

Marina Kaiser, Timo H. Lüdtke, Lena Deuper, Carsten Rudat, Vincent M. Christoffels, Andreas Kispert, Mark-Oliver Trowe

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The auditory function of the mammalian cochlea relies on two types of mechanosensory hair cells and various non-sensory supporting cells. Recent studies identified the transcription factors INSM1 and IKZF2 as regulators of outer hair cell (OHC) fate. However, the transcriptional regulation of the differentiation of inner hair cells (IHCs) and their associated inner supporting cells (ISCs) has remained enigmatic. Here, we show that the expression of the transcription factor TBX2 is restricted to IHCs and ISCs from the onset of differentiation until adulthood and examine its function using conditional deletion and misexpression approaches in the mouse. We demonstrate that TBX2 acts in prosensory progenitors as a patterning factor by specifying the inner compartment of the sensory epithelium that subsequently gives rise to IHCs and ISCs. Hair cell-specific inactivation or misexpression causes transdifferentiation of hair cells indicating a cell-autonomous function of TBX2 in inducing and maintaining IHC fate.
Original languageEnglish
Article number7628
JournalNature communications
Volume13
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2022

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