Gene expression profile of cells from cochlear organoids and comparison with in vivo auditory sensory epithelium cells.

We sequenced the total RNA of cells from inner ear organoids generated by EFI,EFI-4C and EFI-CL expansion strategies. Transcriptional profiles revealed that CHIR and LPA significantly increased proliferative potency and contributed to the stemness maintenance. We further compared the gene expression profiles among the sorted Lgr5+ CPCs, the primary organoids of passage (P)0, the P4 organoids, and the sorted E-cadherin+ sensory epithelial cells. Inner ear organoids recapitulated genetic characteristics of auditory epithelium rather than Lgr5+ progenitors alone. Differential gene analysis of cells from primary organoids and organoids at fourth passage indicated stable transcriptional profiles among passages, which confirmed the reliability and authenticity of cochlear organoids for modeling the properties of the cochlea.