Hearing loss and deafness, as a worldwide disability disease, have been troubling human beings. However, the auditory organ of the inner ear is highly heterogeneous and has a very limited number of cells, which are largely uncharacterized in depth. Recently, with the development and utilization of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), researchers have been able to unveil the complex and sophisticated biological mechanisms of various types of cells in the auditory organ at the single-cell level and address the challenges of cellular heterogeneity that are not resolved through by conventional bulk RNA sequencing (bulk RNA-seq). Herein, we reviewed the application of scRNA-seq technology in auditory research, with the aim of providing a reference for the development of auditory organs, the pathogenesis of hearing loss, and regenerative therapy. Prospects about spatial transcriptomic scRNA-seq, single-cell based genome, and Live-seq technology will also be discussed.

听力损失和耳聋作为一种世界性的残疾疾病，一直困扰着人类。然而，内耳的听觉器官具有高度异质性，并且细胞数量非常有限，并且在深度上很大程度上没有特征。近年来，随着单细胞RNA测序（scRNA-seq）的发展和利用，研究人员已经能够在单细胞水平上揭示听觉器官中各类细胞复杂而精密的生物学机制，并解决这些挑战。传统批量 RNA 测序 (bulk RNA-seq) 无法解决的细胞异质性。本文对scRNA-seq技术在听觉研究中的应用进行综述，旨在为听觉器官的发育、听力损失的发病机制以及再生治疗提供参考。还将讨论空间转录组 scRNA-seq、基于单细胞的基因组和 Live-seq 技术的前景。