A kinase inhibitor library screen identifies novel enzymes involved in ototoxic damage to the murine organ of Corti

Ototoxicity is a significant side effect of a number of drugs, including the aminoglycoside antibiotics and platinum-based chemotherapeutic agents that are used to treat life-threatening illnesses. Although much progress has been made, the mechanisms that lead to ototoxic loss of inner ear sensory hair cells (HCs) remains incompletely understood. Given the critical role of protein phosphorylation in intracellular processes, including both damage and survival signaling, we screened a library of kinase inhibitors targeting members of all the major families in the kinome. Micro-explants from the organ of Corti of mice in which only the sensory cells express GFP were exposed to 200 μM of the ototoxic aminoglycoside gentamicin with or without three dosages of each kinase inhibitor. The loss of sensory cells was compared to that seen with gentamicin alone, or without treatment. Of the 160 inhibitors, 15 exhibited a statistically significant protective effect, while 3 significantly enhanced HC loss. The results confirm some previous studies of kinase involvement in HC damage and survival, and also highlight several novel potential kinase pathway contributions to ototoxicity.