2. Academic Validation
  3. ESRP1 Mutations Cause Hearing Loss due to Defects in Alternative Splicing that Disrupt Cochlear Development

ESRP1 Mutations Cause Hearing Loss due to Defects in Alternative Splicing that Disrupt Cochlear Development

  • Dev Cell. 2017 Nov 6;43(3):318-331.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2017.09.026.
Alex M Rohacek 1,  Thomas W Bebee 2,  Richard K Tilton 3,  Caleb M Radens 1,  Chris McDermott-Roe 2,  Natoya Peart 2,  Maninder Kaur 3,  Michael Zaykaner 3,  Benjamin Cieply 2,  Kiran Musunuru 2,  Yoseph Barash 1,  John A Germiller 4,  Ian D Krantz 5,  Russ P Carstens 6,  Douglas J Epstein 7
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Clinical Research Building, Room 463, 415 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
  • 2 Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
  • 3 Division of Human Genetics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
  • 4 Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
  • 5 Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Clinical Research Building, Room 463, 415 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Division of Human Genetics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 6 Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 7 Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Clinical Research Building, Room 463, 415 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 29107558 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2017.09.026
Abstract

Alternative splicing contributes to gene expression dynamics in many tissues, yet its role in auditory development remains unclear. We performed whole-exome sequencing in individuals with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and identified pathogenic mutations in Epithelial Splicing-Regulatory Protein 1 (ESRP1). Patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells showed alternative splicing defects that were restored upon repair of an ESRP1 mutant allele. To determine how ESRP1 mutations cause hearing loss, we evaluated Esrp1-/- mouse embryos and uncovered alterations in cochlear morphogenesis, auditory hair cell differentiation, and cell fate specification. Transcriptome analysis revealed impaired expression and splicing of genes with essential roles in cochlea development and auditory function. Aberrant splicing of FGFR2 blocked stria vascularis formation due to erroneous ligand usage, which was corrected by reducing Fgf9 gene dosage. These findings implicate mutations in ESRP1 as a cause of SNHL and demonstrate the complex interplay between alternative splicing, inner ear development, and auditory function.

Keywords

ESRP1; Fgf signaling; alternative splicing; cochlear epithelium; hearing loss; inner ear development; stria vascularis.

Figures