Authors’ contributions

ZHH conceptualized the study, secured funding, supervised the project, and provided final manuscript editing. WLW played a central role in conducting the experiments, analyzing the datasets, and initially drafting the manuscript. SYZ performed the semicircular canal microinjection experiment and collected cochlear tissue samples. DQW and YL performed immunofluorescence staining and mouse genotyping. JWL, FZK, and SHW were responsible for the analysis of the bioinformatics data. BWX drew the graphical abstract. KL and CJW procured laboratory reagents and consumables. WLW, XXX, XC, XLF, QJF, and ZHH were involved in discussions about the experimental protocol and data interpretation. All the authors have read and approved the final manuscript.