Polyketide Synthase Plays a Conserved Role in Otolith Formation.

Otoliths (ear stones) are biomineralized complexes essential for the balancing and hearing function of the inner ears in fish. Their formation is controlled by a genetically programmed biological process that is yet to be defined. We have isolated and characterized a spontaneous genetic mutant zebrafish with a complete absence of otoliths, named (). mutants are unable to develop otoliths during embryonic stages and fail to respond to acoustic stimuli, indicating an inner ear defect. We identified a deleterious mutation (G239R) that altered a highly conserved amino acid residue in the zebrafish ortholog of type I polyketide synthase () to underlie these phenotypes and showed that expression of the polyketide synthase gene of Japanese medaka fish could rescue the otolith deficiency in mutant zebrafish. Our finding highlights a critical and conserved role of type I polyketide synthase in the initiation of otolith formation. Given the functional homology between otoliths in teleost fish and otoconia in mammals and humans, mutants provide a new animal model for the study of human otoconia-related diseases.