Sustained Wnt signaling in the mouse inner ear after morphogenesis: In hair cells, supporting cells, and spiral ganglion neurons

The regenerative capacity of inner ear hair cells in mammals varies between the cochlea and the vestibular system. Hair cells in the cochlea lack regenerative ability, whereas those in the vestibular system exhibit limited regenerative potential. However, supporting cells in the cochlea retain proliferative capacity, making them a key focus in auditory regeneration research. Similarly, spiral ganglion neurons actively proliferate until birth but lose this ability within a week postnatally, sharing the regenerative limitations of hair cells. This study investigated the role of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway as a potential regulator of these cells. Wnt signaling plays a crucial role in otic development and inner ear morphogenesis. Using reporter mice, we analyzed the activity of the Wnt canonical pathway in the inner ear at the cellular stages from embryonic to adult stages, assessing fluorescence intensities as an indicator of signaling activity. Our findings demonstrate that Wnt signaling remains active in the vestibular hair cells and in the supporting cells of both the cochlea and vestibule throughout development and into adulthood. In addition, Wnt activity was observed in spiral ganglion neurons up to 7 days after birth, coinciding with their period of proliferative potential. These findings suggest that Wnt signaling is integral to cell proliferation in the inner ear both before and after birth.