The function of the inner ear relies on different specialized cell types: hair cells, supporting
cells and otic neurons. During development, these cell types are generated from the
neurosensory domain of the otic placode with a stereotyped spatial and temporal pattern.
We discuss here the role played by Sox2 in the establishment of the neurosensory
competence at early stages of inner ear development, and how this resolves in the
sequential generation of neurons and hair cells. Sox2 is expressed in the neurosensory …