PUBLICATION

The ndrg2 Gene Regulates Hair Cell Morphogenesis and Auditory Function during Zebrafish Development

Authors
Wang, C., Wang, X., Zheng, H., Yao, J., Xiang, Y., Liu, D.
ID
ZDB-PUB-230628-61
Date
2023
Source
International Journal of Molecular Sciences   24(12): (Journal)
Registered Authors
Liu, Dong, Wang, Xin
Keywords
Notch, cell differentiation, hair cell, hearing loss, ndrg2, zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Deafness*/metabolism
  • Hair Cells, Auditory/metabolism
  • Hearing
  • Neurogenesis/genetics
  • Zebrafish*/genetics
PubMed
37373150 Full text @ Int. J. Mol. Sci.
Abstract
Damages of sensory hair cells (HCs) are mainly responsible for sensorineural hearing loss, however, its pathological mechanism is not yet fully understood due to the fact that many potential deafness genes remain unidentified. N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (ndrg2) is commonly regarded as a tumor suppressor and a cell stress-responsive gene extensively involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and invasion, while its roles in zebrafish HC morphogenesis and hearing remains unclear. Results of this study suggested that ndrg2 was highly expressed in the HCs of the otic vesicle and neuromasts via in situ hybridization and single-cell RNA sequencing. Ndrg2 loss-of-function larvae showed decreased crista HCs, shortened cilia, and reduced neuromasts and functional HCs, which could be rescued by the microinjection of ndrg2 mRNA. Moreover, ndrg2 deficiency induced attenuated startle response behaviors to sound vibration stimuli. Mechanistically, there were no detectable HC apoptosis and supporting cell changes in the ndrg2 mutants, and HCs were capable of recovering by blocking the Notch signaling pathway, suggesting that ndrg2 was implicated in HC differentiation mediated by Notch. Overall, our study demonstrates that ndrg2 plays crucial roles in HC development and auditory sensory function utilizing the zebrafish model, which provides new insights into the identification of potential deafness genes and regulation mechanism of HC development.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Show all Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping