Cochlear hair cell innervation is dependent on a modulatory function of Semaphorin-3A.

Background: Proper connectivity between type I spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) and inner hair cells (IHCs) in the cochlea is necessary for conveying sound information to the brain in mammals. Previous studies have shown that type I SGNs are heterogeneous in form, function and synaptic location on IHCs, but factors controlling their patterns of connectivity are not well understood.

Results: During development, cochlear supporting cells and SGNs express Semaphorin-3A (SEMA3A), a known axon guidance factor. Mice homozygous for a point mutation that attenuates normal SEMA3A repulsive activity (Sema3a ) show cochleae with grossly normal patterns of IHC innervation. However, genetic sparse labeling and three-dimensional reconstructions of individual SGNs show that cochleae from Sema3a mice lacked the normal synaptic distribution of type I SGNs. Additionally, Sema3a cochleae show a disrupted distribution of GLUA2 postsynaptic patches around the IHCs. The addition of SEMA3A-Fc to postnatal cochleae led to increases in SGN branching, similar to the effects of inhibiting glutamate receptors. Ca imaging studies show that SEMA3A-Fc decreases SGN activity.

Conclusions: Contrary to the canonical view of SEMA3A as a guidance ligand, our results suggest SEMA3A may regulate SGN excitability in the cochlea, which may influence the morphology and synaptic arrangement of type I SGNs.