Signaling Pathways Involved in Auditory Hair Cells Development

Auditory hair cells (HCs) cannot be spontaneously regenerated or replaced in mammalian damaged cochlea which leads to permanent deafness. On the other hand, regenerative ability of HCs in lower vertebrates such as birds and amphibians causes that researchers investigate underlying mechanisms and pathways which can possibly induce mammalian cochlear HCs regeneration and hearing recovery. Signaling cascades of HCs regeneration in lower vertebrate can be considered as the potential therapeutic option for the hearing loss in human. This paper reviews current knowledge about the main signaling pathways involved in HCs development in the mammalian cochlea.