Department of Otolaryngology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.
Regen Med. 2012 Sep;7(5):663-73. doi: 10.2217/rme.12.53.
To identify human hair cell progenitors from adult inner ear sensory epithelium.
MATERIALS & METHODS: We collected discarded utricles from translabyrinthine surgery and isolated human utricular sensory epithelial cells (HUCs) to explore whether they can proliferate and obtain features of stem/progenitor cells in vitro using reverse transcription PCR and immunofluorescence.
When cultured in vitro, HUCs expressed genes and proteins that are usually present in prosensory cells and stem cells. Additionally, dissociated HUCs expanded on the substrates and presented properties of mesenchymal cells via epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
The results reveal that sensory epithelial cells from the adult human inner ear can re-enter the cell cycle and adopt a stem/progenitor cell fate. The outcomes of this study may open avenues for human hair cell progenitor generation, which could potentially provide a novel stem cell-based replacement for hearing loss and other inner ear disorders.
从成人内耳感觉上皮中鉴定出毛细胞祖细胞。
我们从迷路切除术中收集废弃的椭圆囊，分离人椭圆囊感觉上皮细胞（HUCs），以探讨其是否能在体外增殖并获得干细胞/祖细胞的特征，方法是使用逆转录 PCR 和免疫荧光。
体外培养时，HUCs 表达通常存在于前体细胞和干细胞中的基因和蛋白。此外，分离的 HUCs 在基质上扩展，并通过上皮-间充质转化呈现间充质细胞的特性。
这些结果表明，成人内耳感觉上皮细胞可以重新进入细胞周期，并采用干细胞/祖细胞命运。本研究的结果可能为人类毛细胞祖细胞的产生开辟新途径，这可能为听力损失和其他内耳疾病提供一种新的基于干细胞的替代方法。
