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First published online December 11, 2006
doi: 10.1242/10.1242/jcs.03299

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Cadherin-2 participates in the morphogenesis of the zebrafish inner ear

Sherry Babb-Clendenon^1,*, Yu-chi Shen^2,*, Qin Liu³, Katharyn E. Turner¹, M. Susan Mills¹, Greg W. Cook¹, Caroline A. Miller⁴, Vincent H. Gattone, II⁴, Kate F. Barald² and James A. Marrs^1,

¹ Department of Medicine, Indiana University Medical Center, 950 West Walnut Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
² Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0616, USA
³ Department of Biology, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325
⁴ Department of Anatomy, Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN 46202

Author for correspondence (e-mail: jmarrs{at}iupui.edu)

Accepted 12 October 2006

Molecular mechanisms that control inner ear morphogenesis from the placode to the three-dimensional functional organ are not well understood. We hypothesize that cell-cell adhesion, mediated by cadherin molecules, contributes significantly to various stages of inner ear formation. Cadherin-2 (Cdh2) function during otic vesicle morphogenesis was investigated by examining morpholino antisense oligonucleotide knockdown and glass onion (glo) (Cdh2 mutant) zebrafish embryos. Placode formation, vesicle cavitation and specification occurred normally, but morphogenesis of the otic vesicle was affected by Cdh2 deficiency: semicircular canals were reduced or absent. Phalloidin staining of the hair cell stereocillia demonstrated that cadherin-2 (cdh2) loss-of-function did not affect hair cell number, but acetylated tubulin labeling showed that hair cell kinocilia were shorter and irregularly shaped. Statoacoustic ganglion size was significantly reduced, which suggested that neuron differentiation or maturation was affected. Furthermore, cdh2 loss-of-function did not cause a general developmental delay, since differentiation of other tissues, including eye, proceeded normally. These findings demonstrate that Cdh2 selectively affects epithelial morphogenetic cell movements, particularly semicircular canal formation, during normal ear mophogenesis.

Key words: N-cadherin, Zebrafish, Ear development, Morphogenesis, Antisense oligonucleotide

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