Possible Rotation Projects:
- Assembly, trafficking, localization and proteostasis of critical auditory proteins in cochlear hair cells
- Genetics of hearing loss and deafness
- Development of novel therapies for hearing loss
Training Technologies Used:
- Cutting edge confocal and electron microscopy, histology, immunofluorescence, mouse genetics (CRISPR/CAS9), biochemistry, gene therapy (viral and nonviral), cell/tissue culture, auditory brainstem response
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University and The Scripps Research Institute, 2021
- Ph.D., Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, 2013
- B.S., Biology, Brigham Young University, Idaho, 2008
X Qiu, JP Llongueras, L Yin, C Cunningham, U Müller. 2025. LHFPL5 is required for maximal activation of the mechanotransduction channel in cochlear hair cells. PNAS. In press.
U Sanzhaeva, H Boyd-Pratt, PTR Bender, T Saravanan, SB Rhodes, T Guan, N Billington, SE Boye, Christopher L. Cunningham, CT Anderson, V Ramamurthy. 2024. TUBB4B, a tubulin isotype linked tosensorineural hearing loss, is essential for the cytoskeletal architecture of cochlear supporting cells and the development of motile cilia. Communications Biology. Sep 14. doi: 10.1038/s42003-024-06867-2
P Wang, KK Miller, E He, SS Dhawan, Christopher L. Cunningham, N Grillet. 2024. LOXHD1 is indispensible for coupling auditory mechanosensitive channels to the site of force transmission. Nature Communications. Sep 10. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-51850-4
B Bizup, S Brutsaert, Christopher L. Cunningham*, A Thathiah*, T Tzounopoulos*. 2024. Cochlear zinc signaling dysregulation is associated with noise-induced hearing loss, and zinc chelation enhances cochlear recovery. PNAS. Feb 20. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2310561121. *Co-corresponding authors
JF Krey, P Chatterjee, J Halford, Christopher L. Cunningham, BJ Perrin, PG Barr-Gillespie. 2023. Control of stereocilia length during development of hair bundles. PLOS Biology. Apr 3. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3001964
X Qiu, X Liang, JP Llongueras, Christopher Cunningham, U Müller. 2023. The tetraspan LHFPL5 is critical to establish maximal force-sensitivity of the mechanotransduction channel of cochlear hair cells. Cell Reports. Mar 28. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112245.
E Penna*, Christopher L. Cunningham*, S Saylor, A Kreutz, AF Tarental, V Martínez-Cerdeño, SC Noctor. 2021. Greater Number of Microglia in Telencephalic Proliferative Zones of Human and Non-Human Primate Compared to other Vertebrate Species. Cerebral Cortex Communications. Sep 6. doi: 10.1093/texcom/tgab053. *These authors contributed equally to this work.
*X Liang*, X Qiu*, G Dionne*, Christopher L. Cunningham, ML Pucak, G Peng, Y Kim, A Lauer, L Shapiro, U Müller. 2021. Cib2 and Cib3 are auxiliary subunits of the mechanotransduction channel of hair cells. Neuron. Jun 4. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.05.007. *These authors contributed equally to this work.
Christopher L. Cunningham*, X Qiu*, Z Wu, B Zhao, G Peng, Y Kim, A Lauer, U Müller. 2020. TMIE defines pore and gating properties of the mechanotransduction channel of mammalian cochlear hair cells. Neuron. Apr 16. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.03.033. *These authors contributed equally to this work.
Christopher L. Cunningham, Z Wu, A Jafari, B Zhao, K Schrode, S Harkins-Perry, A Lauer, U Müller. 2017. The Murine Catecholamine Methyltransferase mTOMT is Essential for Mechanotransduction by Cochlear Hair Cells. eLife. May 15; 6. doi: 10.7554/eLife.24318.
Christopher L. Cunningham, V Martinez-Cerdeno, SC Noctor. 2013. Microglia regulate the number of precursor cells in the developing cerebral cortex. Journal of Neuroscience. Mar 6;33(10):4216-33. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3441-12.2013. Evaluated by Faculty of 1000: http://f1000.com/prime/717992845
The Cunningham Lab is interested in understanding the neural and sensory biology of the vertebrate auditory system. Many unique and highly specialized proteins with exquisitely precise subcellular localizations are critical for each step of sound processing. Hearing loss is the most common sensory deficit, and multiple forms of hearing loss involve aberrant proteostasis—improper assembly, trafficking, and/or regulation of key auditory proteins. The lab utilizes mouse models of human deafness for its experiments. The similarities between the rodent and human auditory systems allow for a panoply of experimental manipulations that aim to uncover basic biological mechanisms and translational insights relevant for human health. The lab utilizes cutting-edge techniques including the generation and analysis of novel genetic mouse models combined with biochemistry, molecular biology, histology, viral vectors and high-resolution fluorescent microscopic imaging. Ultimately, the hope is to utilize the findings toward the development of new therapies for hearing loss and deafness. To this end, the lab is developing gene therapy strategies that can treat hearing loss.
