Role of Supporting cells in cochlear

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K09319
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 56050:Otorhinolaryngology-related
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: Katsunuma Sayaka 神戸大学, 医学研究科, 医学研究員 (80457043)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 聴覚上皮 / 感覚上皮

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In sensory epithelium, sensory cells and supporting cells are arranged in a characteristic mosaic pattern. The sensory cells are always separated from adjacent sensory cells by supporting cells. How the mosaic patterns are developed and maintained has not been well understood. We have reported sensory cells abnormally attached each other in nectin knockout (KO) mice, and have revealed how the mosaic patterns in sensory epithelium are arranged (Katsunuma, et al. 2016. Togashi, et al. 2011). We have proved that nectin KO mice have hearing impairment (unpublished). The attached hair cells in KO mice, which are alive and functioning right after birth, are gradually lost (unpublished).　These results indicate that abnormal adhesion in neighboring hair cells induce apoptosis in themselves.

Free Research Field

耳鼻咽喉科

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

感覚上皮は、感覚細胞と支持細胞の2種類の細胞から構成され、感覚細胞は支持細胞に囲まれて互いに接することなく並ぶ。この特徴的な細胞配列は、視機能を担う網膜、聴覚を担う聴覚上皮、嗅覚を担う嗅上皮などの感覚上皮に共通であり、さらには種を超えて保存されている配列である。聴覚上皮細胞配列において、有毛細胞の維持ときこえにおける支持細胞の役割を明らかにすることは、感覚器共通の感覚受容機構を解明に繋がる。また、感覚上皮において、感覚細胞の生存およびその機能を守るための支持細胞の働きはこれまで明らかにされておらず、本研究により、感覚障害治療に対する新しい治療戦略を提供できる可能性がある。