Rocks That Roll Zebrafish

摘要

There are relatively few places where the human geneticist, the developmental biologist, the protein biochemist, and the inorganic material scientist can find common ground. The field of biomineralization is such a place and the common ground is elegantly illustrated by the paper from Soellner, Nicolson, and colleagues on page 282 of this issue. Examining the dysgenesis of inner-ear otoliths (so-called ear stones) in ze-brafish, these authors show how alteration of a single protein called Starmaker influences the size, shape, and lattice structure of otolith salt crystals associated with these sensory organs. In humans, mutations of a related protein have been linked to congenital deafness and defects in tooth mineralization.