Fig. 4

Formation of otoliths in the absence of cilia. (A) Anti-acetylated tubulin and FITC-phalloidin stain showing tether cilia in an Movl embryo (arrowheads; magenta). (B) MZovl mutant ears lack all cilia, but stereociliary bundles are still present (arrowheads; green). (C) Imperfect otoliths form in the correct position in MZovl. Inset: otolith resting directly on a stereociliary bundle. (D) Graph of otolith defects in MZovl embryos. (E) Confocal stack showing cilia in a phenotypically wild-type igu^ts294e sibling embryo. (F) Anterior kinocilia present in an igu^ts294e mutant (inset). (G) The igu^ts294e mutant lacks most cilia but still has some tether cilia (inset, arrowhead). (H) Graph of otolith defects in igu^tm79a. (I) The igu^tm79a mutant allele has more otic cilia than the igu^ts294e allele, but fewer than in wild-type embryos. (J) Representative confocal stack of an ear from an lrrc50 cross. It was not possible to distinguish lrrc50 mutant from sibling embryos at <24 hpf (n=15 ears). (K) DIC image of the ear of an lrrc50 mutant. (L) Graph of lrrc50 mutant otolith phenotypes. N, normal (two otoliths, in correct positions); 1A, one anterior otolith; 1P, one posterior otolith; 3S, three separate otoliths; 3AF, three otoliths, with two anterior otoliths fused; 3PF, three otoliths, with two posterior otoliths fused; other, other otolith defects. Scale bars: 25 μm in A, for A,B,E,F,I,J; 30 μm in C, for C,G,K.