Myosin VIIA, important for human auditory function, is necessary for Drosophila auditory organ development.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Myosin VIIA (MyoVIIA) is an unconventional myosin necessary for vertebrate
audition [1]-[5]. Human auditory transduction occurs in sensory hair cells with a
staircase-like arrangement of apical protrusions called stereocilia. In these hair
cells, MyoVIIA maintains stereocilia organization [6]. Severe mutations in the Drosophila
MyoVIIA orthologue, crinkled (ck), are semi-lethal [7] and lead to deafness by disrupting
antennal auditory organ (Johnston's Organ, JO) organization [8]. ck/MyoVIIA mutations
result in apical detachment of auditory transduction units (scolopidia) from the cuticle
that transmits antennal vibrations as mechanical stimuli to JO. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:
Using flies expressing GFP-tagged NompA, a protein required for auditory organ organization
in Drosophila, we examined the role of ck/MyoVIIA in JO development and maintenance
through confocal microscopy and extracellular electrophysiology. Here we show that
ck/MyoVIIA is necessary early in the developing antenna for initial apical attachment
of the scolopidia to the articulating joint. ck/MyoVIIA is also necessary to maintain
scolopidial attachment throughout adulthood. Moreover, in the adult JO, ck/MyoVIIA
genetically interacts with the non-muscle myosin II (through its regulatory light
chain protein and the myosin binding subunit of myosin II phosphatase). Such genetic
interactions have not previously been observed in scolopidia. These factors are therefore
candidates for modulating MyoVIIA activity in vertebrates. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings
indicate that MyoVIIA plays evolutionarily conserved roles in auditory organ development
and maintenance in invertebrates and vertebrates, enhancing our understanding of auditory
organ development and function, as well as providing significant clues for future
research.
Type
Journal articleSubject
AnimalsAuditory Perception
Conserved Sequence
Drosophila
Drosophila Proteins
Dyneins
Evolution, Molecular
Humans
Mutation
Myosins
Sensory Receptor Cells
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/4491Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1371/journal.pone.0002115Publication Info
Todi, Sokol V; Sivan-Loukianova, Elena; Jacobs, Julie S; Kiehart, Daniel P; & Eberl,
Daniel F (2008). Myosin VIIA, important for human auditory function, is necessary for Drosophila auditory
organ development. PLoS One, 3(5). pp. e2115. 10.1371/journal.pone.0002115. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/4491.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Daniel P. Kiehart
Professor of Biology
Our intellectual focus is on identifying determinants of cell shape that function
during development. Utilizing molecular genetic and reverse genetic approaches in
Drosophila, we have shown that conventional nonmuscle myosin is necessary for driving
both cell division and post-mitotic cell shape changes for morphogenesis. Currently,
we are investigating how myosin elicits cell shape change and how its function is
regulated through filament formation, phosphorylation, sub-cellular targeting, smal

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