Characterization of Transcriptomes of Apical OHCs and Basal OHCs in Cochlea

We analyzed the transcriptomes of 30 isolated apical OHCs and basal OHCs from rat cochlea, and the results showed that more than 50 genes were differentially expressed and 20 genes were uniquely expressed among these populations. We analyzed these genes with a focus on their functions related to cellular structure and transmembrane channels and their vulnerability to and involvement in hereditary deafness caused by OHC defects. Our results could serve as a guideline for exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying the biological properties of OHCs.本研究对30个分离自大鼠耳蜗的顶段外毛细胞（Outer Hair Cells, OHCs）与基段外毛细胞的转录组（transcriptome）进行了分析。结果显示，两类细胞群体中共有超过50个基因存在差异表达，另有20个基因仅在单一细胞群体中特异性表达。我们针对上述基因展开了系统性分析，重点关注其与细胞结构、跨膜通道相关的功能，以及它们在外毛细胞缺陷引发的遗传性耳聋中的易感性与致病参与机制。本研究结果可为探索外毛细胞生物学特性背后的分子机制提供重要参考依据。