Abstract
Mammalian inner ear has limited regenerative ability, and functional recovery does not occur after damage. However, recent studies indicated that the cells within the inner ear have the characteristics of stem cells, namely, capacity for self-renewal and pluripotency. Since the specific markers for inner ear stem cells have not been found, several methods have been used to detect inner ear stem cells, including sphere-forming assay, fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), side population study, and analysis of slow-cycling cells or Wnt signaling in the inner ear. The potential candidates of cochlear stem cells are the supporting cells, the cells at lesser epithelial ridge (LER), the cells at greater epithelial ridge (GER), and the tympanic border cells. The number of stem cells in the inner ear is estimated to be very low and is reported to decrease dramatically with maturation. It is necessary to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of inner ear stem cells, clarify the reasons behind the quiescence of inner ear stem cells, and identify the causative factors that influence the decrease in the number of inner ear stem cells with maturation, in order to facilitate future regeneration therapy.
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Taniguchi, M., Yamamoto, N. (2014). Inner Ear Stem Cells. In: Ito, J. (eds) Regenerative Medicine for the Inner Ear. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54862-1_30
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54862-1_30
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