Metabolic Abnormalities Linked to Auditory Pathways in ApoE-Knockout HEI-OC1 Cells: A Transcription-Metabolism Co-Analysis

Lipid transporter protein apolipoprotein E (APOE) has contributed to functional studies of various organ functions. Animals with ApoE knockout (KO) have been used to study atherosclerosis and hyperlipidemia while an increasing number of researchers have recently focused on the association of ApoE with hearing loss. A study found that ApoE KO mice experience sensorineural hearing loss and hair cell loss, but the exact mechanism is unclear. To explore the potential relationship between ApoE and hearing loss, we used HEI-OC1 cells (House Ear Institute-Organ of Corti) with Corti apparatus properties to reveal cell changes after ApoE knockout by combined transcriptome and metabolomic analysis. We found that glutamate deficiency, caused by reduced expression of glutamine transporter proteins, was a key correlate of basal metabolism and that inadequate glutamate causes apoptosis by reducing the cells’ resistance to external damage. Our study provides a reference mechanism for hearing loss due to ApoE KO.