Objective To examine whether hair cell immunophenotypes could be derived from the central nervous system (CNS). Methods We established cell cultures from embryonic day 14.5 fetal mouse brain tissues, and analyzed changes in immunohistochemical features of the CNS cell cultures by induction of differentiation.with FGF-2 and EGF.Results The results of this study showed that neural progenitors obtained from fetal rat CNS generated hair cell immunophenotypes with expression of epitopes of hair cell marker proteins myosin VIIa in vitro.Conclusion These findings indicate that immature neural progenitors possess the potential to differentiate into hair cell phenotypes. Immature neural progenitors may be useful as materials for cell transplantation therapy for replacement of damaged inner ear hair cells. Key words: central nervous system, hair cell, immunohistochemical,immunophenotype, transdifferentiation.