Expression data from Pou4f3-Rb1 cKO and control inner ear

Retinoblastoma gene (Rb1) is required for proper cell cycle exit in the developing mouse inner ear and its deletion in the embryo leads to proliferation of sensory progenitor cells that differentiate into hair cells and supporting cells. In the Pou4f3-Cre:Rb1 flox/flox (Rb1 cKO) inner ear, utricular hair cells differentiate and survive into adulthood whereas differentiation and survival of cochlear hair cells are impaired. To comprehensively survey the pRb pathway in the mammalian inner ear, we performed microarray analysis of Rb1 cKO cochlea and utricle. P6 or 2-month control and Rb1 cKO littermates were euthanized and the inner ear tissues were dissected. Total RNA was extracted from the pooled samples. Technical duplicates of the pooled RNA were used for microarray.视网膜母细胞瘤基因（Retinoblastoma gene, Rb1）对于发育中小鼠内耳的正常细胞周期退出至关重要；胚胎中该基因的缺失会导致感觉祖细胞异常增殖，这些祖细胞后续可分化为毛细胞与支持细胞。在Pou4f3-Cre:Rb1 flox/flox（Rb1条件性敲除，简称Rb1 cKO）小鼠的内耳中，椭圆囊毛细胞能够正常分化并存活至成年，而耳蜗毛细胞的分化与存活过程均出现受损。为全面探究哺乳动物内耳内的pRb通路，我们对Rb1 cKO小鼠的耳蜗及椭圆囊组织进行了基因芯片（microarray）分析。实验中，我们选取出生后第6天（P6）或2月龄的野生型对照与Rb1 cKO同窝小鼠实施安乐死，随后解剖分离内耳组织，从混合样本中提取总RNA，并以该混合总RNA的技术重复样本开展基因芯片检测。