A Japanese research group has become the first to reveal that the
checkerboard-like arrangement of cells in the inner ear’s organ of Corti is
vital for hearing. The discovery gives a new insight into how hearing works
from the perspective of cell self-organization and will also enable various
hearing loss disorders to be better understood.The group included Assistant Professor TOGASHI Hideru of Kobe University’s
Graduate School of Medicine and Dr. KATSUNUMA Sayaka of Hyogo Prefectural
Kobe Children’s Hospital. In the organ of Corti in the inner ear, there are
two types ofcells arranged in a checkerboard-like mosaic pattern; hair cells
responsible for hearing and their support cells.
checkerboard-like arrangement of cells in the inner ear’s organ of Corti is
vital for hearing. The discovery gives a new insight into how hearing works
from the perspective of cell self-organization and will also enable various
hearing loss disorders to be better understood.The group included Assistant Professor TOGASHI Hideru of Kobe University’s
Graduate School of Medicine and Dr. KATSUNUMA Sayaka of Hyogo Prefectural
Kobe Children’s Hospital. In the organ of Corti in the inner ear, there are
two types ofcells arranged in a checkerboard-like mosaic pattern; hair cells
responsible for hearing and their support cells.
For the first time in the world, it was understood that the checkerboard
layout plays a fundamental structural role in preserving hair cells This
mosaic pattern of cells has been observed in various sensory organs in many
different kinds of animals. Understanding the mechanism behind how cell
self-organization forms these mosaic patterns will help illuminate the
functions of a variety of sensory organs and the mechanisms behind
disorders.
The inner ear cochlea is necessary for hearing sound, and located inside it
is the organ of Corti.
