Open AccessTmc proteins are essential for zebrafish hearing where Tmc1 is not obligatory
Author(s) -
Zongwei Chen,
Shaoyuan Zhu,
Kayla Kindig,
Shengxuan Wang,
Shih-Wei Chou,
Robin Woods Davis,
Michael R Dercoli,
H. Weaver,
Ruben Stepanyan,
Brian M. McDermott
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
human molecular genetics online/human molecular genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.811
H-Index - 276
eISSN - 1460-2083
pISSN - 0964-6906
DOI - 10.1093/hmg/ddaa045
Subject(s) - zebrafish , biology , inner ear , vestibular system , genetics , stereocilia (inner ear) , mutant , mechanotransduction , genetic screen , hair cell , transmembrane protein , microbiology and biotechnology , neuroscience , gene , receptor
Perception of sound is initiated by mechanically gated ion channels at the tips of stereocilia. Mature mammalian auditory hair cells require transmembrane channel-like 1 (TMC1) for mechanotransduction, and mutations of the cognate genetic sequences result in dominant or recessive heritable deafness forms in humans and mice. In contrast, zebrafish lateral line hair cells, which detect water motion, require Tmc2a and Tmc2b. Here, we use standard and multiplex genome editing in conjunction with functional and behavioral assays to determine the reliance of zebrafish hearing and vestibular organs on Tmc proteins. Surprisingly, our approach using multiple mutant alleles demonstrates that hearing in zebrafish is not dependent on Tmc1, nor is it fully dependent on Tmc2a and Tmc2b. Hearing however is absent in triple-mutant zebrafish that lack Tmc1, Tmc2a and Tmc2b. These outcomes reveal a striking resemblance of Tmc protein reliance in the vestibular sensory epithelia of mammals to the maculae of zebrafish. Moreover, our findings disclose a logic of Tmc use where hearing depends on a complement of Tmc proteins beyond those employed to sense water motion.