The evolutionarily conserved planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway (or noncanonical Wnt
pathway) drives several important cellular processes, including epithelial cell polarization, cell …

Normal development, function and repair of the sensory epithelia in the inner ear are all
dependent on gap junctional intercellular communication. Mutations in the connexin genes …

Alström syndrome (ALMS) is a progressive multi-systemic disorder characterized by cone-rod
dystrophy, sensorineural hearing loss, childhood obesity, insulin resistance and cardiac, …

Gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) plays a major role in cochlear function.
Recent evidence suggests that connexin 26 (Cx26) and Cx30 are the major constituent …

Mammalian auditory hair cells are few in number, experimentally inaccessible, and do not
proliferate postnatally or in vitro. Immortal cell lines with the potential to differentiate into …

Background Following the loss of hair cells from the mammalian cochlea, the sensory epithelium
repairs to close the lesions but no new hair cells arise and hearing impairment ensues. …

Neuro‐anatomical studies in the mammalian cochlea have previously identified a subpopulation
of approximately 5% of primary auditory neurones, designated type II spiral ganglion …

Balance disequilibrium is a significant contributor to falls in the elderly. The most common
cause of balance dysfunction is loss of sensory cells from the vestibular sensory epithelia of …

Schwannoma tumours typically arise on the eighth cranial nerve and are mostly caused by
loss of the tumour suppressor Merlin (NF2). There are no approved chemotherapies for these …

Ciliopathies are a group of developmental disorders that manifest with multi-organ anomalies.
Mutations in TMEM67 (MKS3) cause a range of human ciliopathies, including Meckel-…