BioProject

The vertebrate inner ear arises from a pool of progenitors with the potential to give rise to all the sense organs and cranial ganglia of the head1-6. More...

The vertebrate inner ear arises from a pool of progenitors with the potential to give rise to all the sense organs and cranial ganglia of the head1-6. Here we explore the molecular mechanisms that control ear specification from these progenitors. Using a multi-omics approach combined with loss-of-function experiments we identify a core transcriptional circuit that imparts ear identity, along with non-coding elements that integrate this information. This analysis places the transcription factor Sox8 at the top of the ear determination network. Introducing Sox8 into cranial ectoderm not only converts non-ear cells into ear progenitors, but also activates the cellular programmes for ear morphogenesis and neurogenesis. Thus, Sox8 emerges as a master regulator of ear identity and may be a key factor for sense organ cell reprogramming. Overall design: Chick embryos were electroporated at head fold stages with Pax2E1-EGFP reporter constructs. Embryos were grown at 38°C until the desired somite stages (ss8-9, ss11-12, ss14-15). Heads were cut rostral to the first somite and processed for dissociation. EGFP+ single cells were collected by FACS into 96 well plates containing 2.3ul of lysis buffer. Single cell RNA libraries were generated and submitted for PE 75bp sequencing with the HiSeq4000. Less...