| First Author | Thompson H | Year | 2013 |
| Journal | Science | Volume | 339 |
| Issue | 6126 | Pages | 1453-6 |
| PubMed ID | 23520114 | Mgi Jnum | J:195279 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5477849 | Doi | 10.1126/science.1232862 |
| Citation | Thompson H, et al. (2013) Dual origin of the epithelium of the mammalian middle ear. Science 339(6126):1453-6 |
| abstractText | The air-filled cavity and ossicles of the mammalian middle ear conduct sound to the cochlea. Using transgenic mice, we show that the mammalian middle ear develops through cavitation of a neural crest mass. These cells, which previously underwent an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transformation upon leaving the neural tube, undergo a mesenchymal-to-epithelial transformation to form a lining continuous with the endodermally derived auditory tube. The epithelium derived from endodermal cells, which surrounds the auditory tube and eardrum, develops cilia, whereas the neural crest-derived epithelium does not. Thus, the cilia critical to clearing pathogenic infections from the middle ear are distributed according to developmental derivations. A different process of cavitation appears evident in birds and reptiles, indicating that this dual epithelium may be unique to mammals. |
