RNA-sequencing of Adult Mouse Inner Hair Cells and Outer Hair Cells of the organ of Corti

To further understand the biological properties of hair cells of the mammalian cochlea, we examined the transcriptome of adult inner and outer hair cells. Morphologically distinct inner and outer hair cells were isolated from the organ of Corti from adult CBA/J mice. One thousand inner and outer hair cells were separately collected for each biological replicate, using the suction pipette technique. RNA sequencing of two biological replicates of IHCs and three biological replicates of OHCs, each with two technical repeats, was performed. The resulting sequenced reads were mapped. Comparisons between inner and outer hair cells allow identification of enriched genes, as well as differentially expressed genes that result in cellular specialization. Our dataset provides an extensive resource for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying morphology, function, and pathology of adult mouse inner and outer hair cells. One thousand inner hair cells and 1,000 outer hair cells were separately collected for each biological replicate, using the suction pipette technique. RNA sequencing of two or three biological replicates, for inner hair cells and outer hair cells respectively, was performed. The resulting sequenced reads were mapped. Comparisons between inner and outer hair cells allow identification of enriched genes which may underlie cell specialization.