title: Concise review: Inner ear stem cells--an oxymoron, but why?
abstract: Hearing loss, caused by irreversible loss of cochlear sensory hair cells, affects millions of patients worldwide. In this concise review, we examine the conundrum of inner ear stem cells, which obviously are present in the inner ear sensory epithelia of nonmammalian vertebrates, giving these ears the ability to functionally recover even from repetitive ototoxic insults. Despite the inability of the mammalian inner ear to regenerate lost hair cells, there is evidence for cells with regenerative capacity because stem cells can be isolated from vestibular sensory epithelia and from the neonatal cochlea. Challenges and recent progress toward identification of the intrinsic and extrinsic signaling pathways that could be used to re-establish stemness in the mammalian organ of Corti are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305-5739, USA.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ronaghi
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nasr
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D003051:Cochlea / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D007758:Ear, Inner / Q000166:cytology*; D004848:Epithelium / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism; D006199:Hair Cells, Auditory, Inner / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008322:Mammals / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D009925:Organ of Corti / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology
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