Abstract
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family cytokines are important mediators of inflammation. Elevated levels of serum TNF-α are associated with human sensorineural hearing loss via poorly understood mechanisms. We demonstrate, for the first time, expression of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and its signaling death receptor 5 (DR5) in the murine inner ear and show that exogenous TRAIL can trigger hair cell and neuronal degeneration, which can be partly prevented with DR5-blocking antibodies.