Autonomous assembly of epithelial structures by subrenal implantation of dissociated embryonic inner-ear cells.
Microenvironment and cell-cell interactions play an important role during embryogenesis and are required for the stemness and differentiation of stem cells. The inner-ear sensory epithelium, containing hair cells and supporting cells, is derived from the stem cells within the otic vesicle at early embryonic stages. However, whether or not such microenvironment or cell-cell interactions within the embryonic otic tissue have the capacity to regulate the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells and to autonomously reassemble the cells into epithelial structures is unknown. Here, we report that on enzymatic digestion and dissociation to harvest all the single cells from 13.5-day-old rat embryonic (E13.5) inner-ear tissue as well as on implantation of these cells under renal capsules; the dissociated cells are able to reassemble themselves to form epithelial structures as early as 7 days after implantation. By 25 days after implantation, more mature epithelial structures are formed. Immunostaining with cell-type-specific markers reveals that hair cells and supporting cells are not only formed, but are also well aligned with the hair cells located in the apical layer surrounded by the supporting cells. These findings suggest that microenvironment and cell-cell interactions within the embryonic inner-ear tissue have the autonomous signals to induce the formation of sensory epithelial structures. This method may also provide a useful system to study the potential of stem cells to differentiate into hair cells in vivo.
aState Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Renji-MedX Stem Cell Research Center, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine bSchool of Biomedical Engineering & MedX Research Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Li
L
Wang
Kaiqing
K
Zhang
Helen He
HH
Zhu
Wei-Qiang
WQ
Gao
D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D060833:Cellular Microenvironment; D007758:Ear, Inner / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D004848:Epithelium / Q000196:embryology*; D006198:Hair Cells, Auditory / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*