Control of Crystal Size and Lattice Formation by Starmaker in Otolith Biomineralization

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1088443
• Publication Date: 2003-10-10T09:37:46Z
• Authors: Christian Söllner; Manfred Burghammer; Elisabeth Busch-N...; Jürgen Berger; Heinz Schwarz; Christian Riekel; Teresa Nicolson
• Keywords: 0303 health sciences; Molecular Sequence Data; Computational Biology; Gene Expression; Ear; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Oligonucleotides, Antisense; Crystallography, X-Ray; Calcium Carbonate; Otolithic Membrane; 03 medical and health sciences; Calcification, Physiologic; Phenotype; Hearing; X-Ray Diffraction; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Morphogenesis; Animals; Amino Acid Sequence; Crystallization; Postural Balance; Zebrafish

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.