Seminars in Hearing Research at Purdue (SHRP)

Seminar presented in conjunction with the Purdue Biological Sciences Seminar Series (Neurobiology & Physiology Area).

Date: Thursday, March 31,  2022

Time: 10:30 – 11:20 am

Location: Zoom only

Zoom info:

https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/93108158900?pwd=RDdTQ0Z4UE9Rb0JUenhjMG1SMkp2QT09

Meeting ID: 931 0815 8900 

Passcode: 11501150

Speaker: Wei-Ming Yu, Ph.D., Loyola University, Chicago, IL

Host: Donna M. Fekete, Ph.D., Purdue University

Title: Ephrin-Eph forward signaling in tonotopic map formation in the mouse cochlear nucleus 

Abstract:  Tonotopy is a fundamental feature of the vertebrate auditory system and forms the basis for sound discrimination, but the molecular basis underlying its formation remains largely elusive. Ephrin/Eph signaling is known to play important roles in topographic mapping in other sensory systems. Here, we found that ephrin-A3 molecules are differentially expressed along the tonotopic axis in developing mouse cochlear nucleus. Ephrin-A3 forward signaling is sufficient to repel auditory nerve fibers in a developmental stage-dependent manner. In ephrin-A3 mutant animals, the tonotopic map is degraded and isofrequency bands of neuronal activation upon pure tone exposure become imprecise in the anteroventral cochlear nucleus. Ephrin-A3 mutant mice exhibit a delayed second wave in auditory brainstem responses and impaired detection sound frequency changes. Our findings establish an essential role of ephrin-A3 forward signaling in forming precise tonotopy in the mouse cochlear nucleus to ensure accurate sound discrimination.

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The working schedule for this academic is here:

https://purdue.edu/TPAN/hearing/shrp_schedule

The titles and abstracts of the talks will be added here:

https://purdue.edu/TPAN/hearing/shrp_abstracts