Expression of growth factors and their receptors in the postnatal rat cochlea.

RT-PCR was used to assay for growth factors and receptors from seven different protein families in cochlea tissues of the juvenile rat. There was a broad representation of the growth factor families in all the cochlea tissues examined, though the organ of Corti and stria vascularis expressed a greater variety than the spiral ganglion. This broad expression suggests that a variety of known growth factors play significant roles in the development, maintenance, and repair of the inner ear. The results of this survey serve as a basis for the design of future in vitro experiments that will address the ability of growth factors to protect hair cells from damage and to evoke a repair-regeneration response by injured hair cells.