Unique Set of Proteins Restores Hearing in Zebra Fish

September 14, 2022 by Dan McCue
Unique Set of Proteins Restores Hearing in Zebra Fish
A female specimen of a zebrafish (Danio rerio) breed with fantails. (Photo by Azul via Wikimedia)

WASHINGTON — Research into a specific network of proteins that restores hearing in zebra fish through cell regeneration may inform the development of treatments for hearing loss in humans, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The study, led by investigators at the National Human Genome Research Institute, was published in Cell Genomics.

Hearing loss affects around 37.5 million Americans, and most cases come from the loss of hearing receptors known as “hair cells” in the inner ear. 

Bristles that stick out of these microscopic hair cells move and bend when sound travels into our ears, resulting in electric signals sent through nerves and into our brains that allow us to process sound.

Although hair cell loss cannot be replaced in humans, many animals, including zebra fish, can restore hearing after injury through the regeneration of hair cells. 

The regenerative properties of zebrafish hair cells prompted researchers to use this animal to understand some fundamental properties of regeneration.

“Humans and other mammals are born with a set number of hair cells that are slowly lost through aging and trauma,” said senior investigator Shawn Burgess. “However, some animals, such as zebra fish, can regenerate hair cells and recover hearing after injury.

“How and why regeneration happens in these animals remain a mystery that many scientists would like to unravel,” Burgess added.

Humans and zebrafish are visually quite different, but at a genomic level they share more than 70% of their genes. This genomic similarity offers the potential for researchers to understand the biology of cell regeneration in zebra fish before translating the findings to humans.

When hair cells die in zebra fish, nearby support cells start replicating. These support cells are like stem cells because of their ability to become other cell types. Researchers had identified some of the factors that convert support cells into hair cells, but what was not understood is how and where the genes encoding those factors turn on and are coordinated with other unknown factors.

“We have identified a unique combination of transcription factors that trigger regeneration in zebra fish. Further down the line, this group of zebra fish transcription factors might become a biological target that may lead to the development of novel therapy to treat hearing loss in humans,” said Erin Jimenez, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue

A+
a-
  • hearing
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Research
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Health

    Biden Announcing New Rule to Protect Consumers Who Purchase Short-Term Health Insurance Plans

    President Joe Biden on Thursday announced new steps to protect consumers who buy short-term health insurance plans that critics say amount to junk. A... Read More

    President Joe Biden on Thursday announced new steps to protect consumers who buy short-term health insurance plans that critics say amount to junk. A new rule finalized by the Democratic president's administration will limit these plans to just three months. And the plans can only be renewed for a maximum... Read More

    March 27, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    One-Time Treatment Could Revitalize Immune Systems in the Elderly

    PALO ALTO, Calif. — A new study suggests that a one-time treatment that modulates the composition of a type of... Read More

    PALO ALTO, Calif. — A new study suggests that a one-time treatment that modulates the composition of a type of immune cell could potentially revitalize the immune systems of the elderly, helping their bodies better react to viral and bacterial threats. The research was carried out... Read More

    March 27, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Insurers to Expand Access to ‘Navigation Services’ for Cancer Patients

    WASHINGTON — Seven of the nation’s largest health insurance companies are expanding access to so-called “navigation services” to help patients... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Seven of the nation’s largest health insurance companies are expanding access to so-called “navigation services” to help patients and their families navigate the myriad challenges that might arise during treatment for cancer and other serious illnesses. The insurers involved are Aetna; Blue Cross Blue... Read More

    Five Takeaways From the Abortion Pill Case Before US Supreme Court

    WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday did not appear ready to limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone,... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday did not appear ready to limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone, in a case that could have far-reaching implications for millions of American women and for scores of drugs regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. It's... Read More

    Biden and Harris Argue Democrats Will Preserve Health Care and Republicans Would Take It Away

    RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday promoted their health care agenda in... Read More

    RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday promoted their health care agenda in the battleground state of North Carolina, arguing that Democrats like themselves would preserve access to care while Republicans would reverse gains made over the past decade... Read More

    March 26, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Supreme Court Skeptical of Ban on Abortion Pill Mifepristone

    WASHINGTON — A hearing Tuesday before the Supreme Court indicated a majority of the justices want to maintain women’s access... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A hearing Tuesday before the Supreme Court indicated a majority of the justices want to maintain women’s access to the abortion pill mifepristone despite objections from anti-abortion activists. The doctors and organizations who sued argued the Food and Drug Administration was wrong in granting... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top