Hear, hear for the zebrafish.
Our senses of hearing and balance rely on the function of specialized receptor neurons called "hair cells." In this issue of Neuron, Grant et al. report a series of elegant zebrafish experiments that reveal a previously unappreciated role for glia in the regulation of hair cell proliferation and differentiation. This work is a beautiful example of how zebrafish are particularly useful model systems for studying hair cell development and function.
Goodrich
Lisa V
LV
Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D006198:Hair Cells, Auditory / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular / Q000502:physiology; D023421:Models, Animal; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D017933:Peripheral Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology