title: Control of crystal size and lattice formation by starmaker in otolith biomineralization.
abstract: The stone-like otoliths from the ears of teleost fishes are involved in balance and hearing and consist of calcium carbonate crystallites embedded in a protein framework. We report that a previously unknown gene, starmaker, is required in zebrafish for otolith morphogenesis. Reduction of starmaker activity by injection of modified antisense oligonucleotides causes a change in the crystal lattice structure and thus a change in otolith morphology. The expression pattern of starmaker, along with the presence of the protein on the growing otolith, suggest that the expression levels of starmaker control the shape of the otoliths.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie, Spemannstrasse 35, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Söllner
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burghammer
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Busch-Nentwich
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Heinz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Riekel
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nicolson
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002113:Calcification, Physiologic; D002119:Calcium Carbonate / Q000737:chemistry; D019295:Computational Biology; D003460:Crystallization; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D004423:Ear / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology; D015870:Gene Expression; D006309:Hearing; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009024:Morphogenesis; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D010037:Otolithic Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010641:Phenotype; D004856:Postural Balance; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C478248:stm protein, zebrafish; D002119:Calcium Carbonate