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Frontiers of Medicine >> 2016, Volume 10, Issue 2 doi: 10.1007/s11684-016-0451-1

Regeneration of hair cells in the mammalian vestibular system

1. Otorhinolaryngology Department, Affiliated Eye and ENT Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China.

2. Key Laboratory of Hearing Medicine of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, Shanghai 200031, China.

3. Research Center, Affiliated Eye and ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China.

4. MOE Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.

5. Co-Innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, China.

6. Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China

Available online: 2016-05-27

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Abstract

Hair cells regenerate throughout the lifetime of non-mammalian vertebrates, allowing these animals to recover from hearing and balance deficits. Such regeneration does not occur efficiently in humans and other mammals. Thus, balance deficits become permanent and is a common sensory disorder all over the world. Since Forge and Warchol discovered the limited spontaneous regeneration of vestibular hair cells after gentamicin-induced damage in mature mammals, significant efforts have been exerted to trace the origin of the limited vestibular regeneration in mammals after hair cell loss. Moreover, recently many strategies have been developed to promote the hair cell regeneration and subsequent functional recovery of the vestibular system, including manipulating the Wnt, Notch and Atoh1. This article provides an overview of the recent advances in hair cell regeneration in mammalian vestibular epithelia. Furthermore, this review highlights the current limitations of hair cell regeneration and provides the possible solutions to regenerate functional hair cells and to partially restore vestibular function.

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