ReviewThe role of Atonal transcription factors in the development of mechanosensitive cells
Section snippets
Atonal genes and mechanosensory cells
Two bHLH gene families are associated with sensory cells across metazoans–the achaete-scute and atonal families. Of these, the atonal genes are particularly strongly linked with the specification of photo- and mechanoreceptor cells [1]. The atonal gene was discovered in Drosophila as a proneural transcription factor for mechanoreceptive neurons and photoreceptor cells [2], [3]. Jellyfish atonal homologues are expressed in photoreceptive and mechanosensory cells [4]. In vertebrates, these two
Drosophila Atonal and the development of sensory neurons
Ch neurons form part of internal sense organs that mediate proprioception (Ch organs are typically located to respond to joint or body movement), and hearing and gravitaxis (the large Ch neuron array of Johnston's Organ in the antenna) [18]. During the formation of the precursors of these neurons within the ectoderm (sense organ precursors or SOPs), atonal functions as a ‘typical’ proneural gene in that its expression is necessary and sufficient for SOP specification [2]. It is transiently
The role of vertebrate Atoh1 genes in the development of mechanosensory hair cells
The developmental module that uses atonal family bHLH genes to regulate the development of mechanosensory cells is thought to be evolutionarily ancient [11]. As discussed above, invertebrates such as Drosophila use this module to generate intrinsically mechanosensitive neurons, whereas some vertebrate sensory systems have split the function of the mechanosensitive neuron into a sensory receptor cell (such as a hair cell or Merkel cell) that makes synaptic connections with a sensory neuron that
The role of Atoh1 in the regeneration of hair cells
Mammals are unable to regenerate their auditory hair cells after damage, and display only a very limited degree of regeneration in the vestibular system (reviewed in Ref. [104]). In contrast, non-mammalian vertebrates show robust hair cell regeneration after damage due to the proliferation and trans-differentiation of supporting cells. Non-mammalian vestibular sensory organs and the lateral line organs of teleosts also show a steady ongoing turnover of hair cells [105], [106]. Accordingly,
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