Sox2 haploinsufficiency primes regeneration and Wnt responsiveness in the mouse cochlea.

The neonatal mouse cochlea is able to regenerate lost sensory hair cells required for hearing. Here we found that levels of a transcription factor Sox2 modulates the level of hair cell regeneration at this developmental age. Moreover, Wnt signaling is a fundamentally important pathway that fuels regeneration in many tissues. We found that modulation of Sox2 enhances responsiveness to Wnt signaling. These results suggest a combinatorial approach is feasible and promising in modulating mammalian inner ear hair cell regeneration.