Adult Stem Cells in the Inner Ear

成人骨髓中存在一种称为骨髓基质细胞的细胞群。这个多能细胞库 干细胞易于分离、提供更新群体并可用于自体移植。 骨髓基质细胞已被证明可以在中枢和外周分化为神经细胞， 体内的神经系统然而，很少有人知道骨髓基质细胞的潜力， 内耳结构中的感觉神经元的特性。这项研究的主要目的是测试 骨髓基质细胞是否能够存活、分化并在发育中的或 成年人内耳，以及从微环境分泌的信号蛋白是否起到任何指导作用， 在这些过程中的作用。目的#1将测试骨髓基质细胞和组织之间的相互作用 发育中的内耳周围的细胞在组织特异性神经元分化中发挥着指导作用。目的 #2将测试从发育中的内耳分泌的可扩散蛋白是否促进迁移或轴突 这是暴露于神经诱导信号的骨髓基质细胞的产物。目标#3将测试 移植的骨髓基质细胞能否分化并整合到成年动物的内耳中 或患有听觉神经病的动物。未分化的或部分分化的基质细胞将被 移植到成年正常沙鼠或用哇巴因处理的沙鼠的耳蜗中。生存的程度， 将评估和比较供体基质细胞的神经元分化和轴突生长， 不同的实验条件。总之，这些实验将提供关键信息， 对宿主耳蜗中骨髓源性干细胞的分化和整合至关重要 组织，因此在自体细胞的开发和实施中具有重要意义。 听觉系统的替代疗法

Resident in adult bone marrow is a cell population called the marrow stromal cells. This pool of pluripotent stem cells is easy to isolate, provides a renewal population and can be used for autologous transplantation. Marrow stromal cells have been shown to differentiate into neuronal cells in the central and peripheral nervous systems in vivo. Little, however, is known about the potential of marrow stromal cells to take on properties of sensory neurons residing in the inner ear structures. The primary goal of this study is to test whether marrow storomal cells can survive, differentiate and establish connectivity within the developing or adult inner ear, and whether signaling proteins secreted from the microenvironment play any instructive roles in these processes. Aim #1 will test whether interactions between marrow stromal cells and tissues surrounding the developing inner ear play an instructive role in tissue-specific neuronal differentiation. Aim #2 will test whether diffusible proteins secreted from the developing inner ear promote migration or axon outgrowth of marrow stromal cells that have been exposed to neural induction signals. Aim #3 will test whether transplanted marrow stromal cells can differentiate and integrate into the inner ear of adult animals or animals with auditory neuropathy. Undifferentiated or partially-differentiated stromal cells will be transplanted into the cochlea of adult normal gerbils or gerbils treated with ouabain. The extent of survival, neuronal differentiation and axon outgrowth of donor stromal cells will be evaluated and compared among different experimental conditions. Together, these experiments would provide critical information on factors essential for the differentiation and integration of bone marrow-derived stem cells in the host cochlear tissue, and thus have significant implications in the development and implementation of an autologous cell replacement therapy in the auditory system.