摘要

To investigate roles of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling on the development of mouse cochlear sensory organ, we isolated initial auditory epithelium from embryo and cultured with agonist or antagonist of BMP signaling. When BMP signaling was blocked with noggin cochlear epithelia were disordered, with hair cells in abnormal arrangement and disheveled hair bundles. The number of myosin VIIA and SRY (sex-determining region Y)-box 2 (SOX2)-positive cells also decreased dramatically. Conversely, an increase of myosin VIIA and SRY (sex-determining region Y)-box 2-positive cells was observed when auditory epithelia were treated with exogenous BMP4. Cell proliferation and cell death were not changed significantly by BMP signaling. Collectively, our results indicated that BMP signaling is essential to cochlear sensory formation and hair cell differentiation.