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Science 10 October 2003:
Vol. 302. no. 5643, pp. 282 - 286
DOI: 10.1126/science.1088443
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Reports

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

Christian Söllner,1 Manfred Burghammer,3 Elisabeth Busch-Nentwich,1 Jürgen Berger,2 Heinz Schwarz,2 Christian Riekel,3 Teresa Nicolson1*{dagger}

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.

1 Max Planck Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie, Spemannstrasse 35, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
2 Microscopy Unit, Max Planck Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie, Spemannstrasse 35, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
3 European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Post Office Box 220, F–38043 Grenoble Cedex, France.


* Present address: Oregon Hearing Research Center and Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97201, USA.

{dagger} To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: nicolson{at}ohsu.edu

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)