Your eardrum contains a hidden population of emergency stem cells that only wake up when you suffer a major injury.
The tympanic membrane is a delicate structure that is constantly exposed to sound vibrations, but its repair mechanism was a mystery. Researchers found a group of quiescent stem cells that remain completely inactive during normal life. These cells only respond to traumatic injuries, rapidly dividing to bridge any gaps and rebuild the eardrum's complex three-layered structure. If these specific stem cells are missing or fail to activate, the eardrum cannot heal itself properly, leading to permanent hearing loss. This discovery could lead to new therapies that wake up these cells to help patients with chronic eardrum perforations avoid surgery.
Wnt-responding stem/progenitor cells are essential for tympanic membrane repair
research_square · rs-9587608
Abstract Tympanic membrane (eardrum) perforations are common, with the majority healing, suggesting an innate ability to regenerate after damage. Epithelial cells expressing putative stem cell markers have been shown to reside in niches confined to specific regions of the membrane. Utilising Axin2 reporter mice, we show that label-retaining and long-lived, Wnt-responding cells are located in these presumptive stem cell niches. scRNAseq analysis and lineage tracing revealed that these Wnt-respond