title: Selective acquisition of individual cell types in the vestibular periphery for molecular biology studies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a method for characterizing the transcriptome of individual cell types in the inner ear sensory epithelia.
  
  
  METHODS
  We employed the technique of laser capture microdissection to obtain enriched populations of hair cells and supporting cells. The respective mRNAs were extracted, reverse transcribed, and amplified using PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We were able to isolate RNAs with good integrity from enriched cell populations obtained with laser capture microscopy and amplify specific mRNA targets.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We can now investigate the molecular differences between the different cell types in the inner ear sensory epithelia as identified by morphological criteria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Analysis of gene expression profiles in the inner ear cell types has been hampered by the small size of this tissue and by the compact histoarchitecture of the sensory epithelia; however, the present technique offers new possibilities for the analysis of transcriptomes in the vestibular periphery using available high-throughput gene expression analysis methods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226-3596, USA.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cristobal
authors.forename: P Ashley
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Wackym
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cioffi
authors.forename: Christy B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Erbe
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Popper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004210:Dissection / Q000379:methods; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006198:Hair Cells, Auditory / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology; D007760:Labyrinth Supporting Cells / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051381:Rats; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger