Journal article
Molecular evolution of the vertebrate mechanosensory cell and ear
The International journal of developmental biology, Vol.51(6-7), pp.663-678
2007
DOI: 10.1387/ijdb.072367bf
PMCID: PMC3918877
PMID: 17891725
Abstract
The molecular basis of mechanosensation, mechanosensory cell development and mechanosensory organ development is reviewed with an emphasis on its evolution. In contrast to eye evolution and development, which apparently modified a genetic program through intercalation of genes between the master control genes on the top (Pax6, Eya1, Six1) of the hierarchy and the structural genes (rhodopsin) at the bottom, the as yet molecularly unknown mechanosensory channel precludes such a firm conclusion for mechanosensors. However, recent years have seen the identification of several structural genes which are involved in mechanosensory tethering and several transcription factors controlling mechanosensory cell and organ development; these warrant the interpretation of available data in very much the same fashion as for eye evolution: molecular homology combined with potential morphological parallelism. This assertion of molecular homology is strongly supported by recent findings of a highly conserved set of microRNAs that appear to be associated with mechanosensory cell development across phyla. The conservation of transcription factors and their regulators fits very well to the known or presumed mechanosensory specializations which can be mostly grouped as variations of a common cellular theme. Given the widespread distribution of the molecular ability to form mechanosensory cells, it comes as no surprise that structurally different mechanosensory organs evolved in different phyla, presenting a variation of a common theme specified by a conserved set of transcription factors in their cellular development. Within vertebrates and arthropods, some mechanosensory organs evolved into auditory organs, greatly increasing sensitivity to sound through modifications of accessory structures to direct sound to the specific sensory epithelia. However, while great attention has been paid to the evolution of these accessory structures in vertebrate fossils, comparatively less attention has been spent on the evolution of the inner ear and the central auditory system. Recent advances in our molecular understanding of ear and brain development provide novel avenues to this neglected aspect of auditory neurosensory evolution.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Molecular evolution of the vertebrate mechanosensory cell and ear
- Creators
- Bernd Fritzsch - Creighton University, Dept of Biomedical Sciences, Omaha, NE 68178, USA. Fritzsch@Creighton.eduKirk W BeiselSarah PauleyGarrett Soukup
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The International journal of developmental biology, Vol.51(6-7), pp.663-678
- DOI
- 10.1387/ijdb.072367bf
- PMID
- 17891725
- PMCID
- PMC3918877
- NLM abbreviation
- Int J Dev Biol
- ISSN
- 0214-6282
- eISSN
- 1696-3547
- Publisher
- Spain
- Grant note
- R01 DC005590-06 / NIDCD NIH HHS R01 DC005009 / NIDCD NIH HHS 1 C06 RR17417-01 / NCRR NIH HHS R01 DC005590 / NIDCD NIH HHS DC005009 / NIDCD NIH HHS 1P20RR018788-01 / NCRR NIH HHS P20 RR018788 / NCRR NIH HHS LB692 / PHS HHS C06 RR017417 / NCRR NIH HHS
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 2007
- Academic Unit
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Biology; Craniofacial Anomalies Research Center
- Record Identifier
- 9984070154602771
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