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Evolution of vertebrate mechanosensory hair cells and inner ears: toward identifying stimuli that select mutation driven altered morphologies

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Abstract

Among the major distance senses of vertebrates, the ear is unique in its complex morphological changes during evolution. Conceivably, these changes enable the ear to adapt toward sensing various physically well-characterized stimuli. This review develops a scenario that integrates sensory cell with organ evolution. We propose that molecular and cellular evolution of the vertebrate hair cells occurred prior to the formation of the vertebrate ear. We previously proposed that the genes driving hair cell differentiation were aggregated in the otic region through developmental re-patterning that generated a unique vertebrate embryonic structure, the otic placode. In agreement with the presence of graviceptive receptors in many vertebrate outgroups, it is likely that the vertebrate ear originally functioned as a simple gravity-sensing organ. Based on the rare occurrence of angular acceleration receptors in vertebrate outgroups, we further propose that the canal system evolved with a more sophisticated ear morphogenesis. This evolving morphogenesis obviously turned the initial otocyst into a complex set of canals and recesses, harboring multiple sensory epithelia each adapted to the acquisition of a specific aspect of a given physical stimulus. As support for this evolutionary progression, we provide several details of the molecular basis of ear development.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by NASA base grant (BF) and P30 DC 010362 (BF), and by the German Science Foundation (CRC 870, TP B12) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research under the Grant code 01 EO 0901 to HS. We express our thanks to the Roy. J. Carver foundation for the purchase of the Leica TCS SP5 confocal microscope and the Office of the Vice President for Research for support and Karen Elliott for linguistic help.

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  1. Department of Biology, University of Iowa, 143 BB, Iowa, IA, 52242, USA

    Bernd Fritzsch

  2. Department Biology II, Ludwig-Maximillians-University, Munich, Germany

    Hans Straka

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Fritzsch, B., Straka, H. Evolution of vertebrate mechanosensory hair cells and inner ears: toward identifying stimuli that select mutation driven altered morphologies. J Comp Physiol A 200, 5–18 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-013-0865-z

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