Mapping Genome-wide Binding Sites of Prox1 in Mouse Cochlea Using the CUT&RUN Approach

Dear Editor, Our auditory organ,the cochlea,resides in the ventral portion of the inner ear,and its sensory epithelium,the organ of Corti,contains hair cells (HCs) and supporting cells (SCs),which are both descendants of the same progenitors.HCs are prone to damage by multiple ototoxic factors,and how to regenerate damaged HCs using key genes involving cochlear development is of importance[1,2].Cochlear progenitor cells express Sox2 and prolif-erate before embryonic day 12.5 (E12.5) in the mouse but become quiescent in an apical-to-basal gradient between E12.5 and E14.5[3].The development of cochlear HCsand SCs is regulated by many key genes including Atohl(atonal bHLH transcription factor 1) and other signaling pathways [4-6].