Research Direction

• Molecular mechanisms of inner ear sensory system development and regeneration strategies

Enrollment Major

• Neurobiology

Research Work

The inner ear is a highly specialized sensory organ responsible for hearing and balance, composed of multiple types of hair cells, supporting cells, and neurons, with limited cell numbers and complex structures. Damage to cochlear hair cells or neurons can result in sensorineural hearing loss, while vestibular dysfunction can lead to balance disorders, both of which significantly impact daily life. Our laboratory focuses on the molecular mechanisms regulating hair cell fate determination and functional maintenance, as well as the developmental processes of inner ear neuronal lineages. By integrating high-throughput single-cell multi-omics analyses, mouse genetic models, and auditory/vestibular electrophysiological assessments, we systematically dissect the transcriptional regulatory logic and fate plasticity of inner ear hair cells and neurons, aiming to provide theoretical foundations and potential intervention targets for treating hearing and balance disorders.

Selected Publications

• Sun YW, Ren MH, Zhang Y, Li ST, Luo ZN, Sun SH, He SJ, Wang GQ, Zhang D, Mansour SL, Song L, Liu ZY*(2025). Casz1 is required for both inner hair cell fate stabilization and outer hair cell survival. Science. 388(6744): eado4930

• Sun YW, Liu ZY*(2023). Recent advances in molecular studies on cochlear development and regeneration. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 81: 102745

• Sun YW#, Wang LY#, Zhu T, Wu BL, Wang GQ, Luo ZN, Li C*, Wei W*, Liu ZY*(2022). Single-cell transcriptomic landscapes of the otic neuronal lineage at multiple early embryonic ages. Cell Rep. 38(12): 110542

• Sun YW#, Zhang Y#, Zhang D#, Wang GQ, Song L*, Liu ZY*(2022). In vivo CRISPR-Cas9-mediated DNA chop identifies a cochlear outer hair cell-specific enhancer. Faseb J. 36(4): e22233