Apoptotic death of hair cells in mammalian vestibular sensory epithelia

A Forge, L Li - Hearing research, 2000 - Elsevier
Hair cell death was examined in cultured explants of vestibular organs from mature guinea
pigs and gerbils. The effects of gentamicin were compared with those of staurosporine, a
membrane-permeable kinase inhibitor that induces programmed cell death in almost all cell
types. Under the conditions used staurosporine killed hair cells but supporting cells
appeared unaffected, and a topographic pattern of differential sensitivity to staurosporine
amongst hair cells, similar to that described for aminoglycoside antibiotics, was revealed …