Formation of otoconia in the Japanese red-bellied newt, Cynops pyrrhogaster
| Autor: | Wiederhold, M. L., Larsen, K., Yamashita, Masamichi, Asashima, Makoto |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 1994 |
| Předmět: |
Atmospheric Science
Red-bellied newt Acceleration Aerospace Engineering Biology Otolithic Membrane Utricle Hair Cells Auditory Image Processing Computer-Assisted medicine Animals Inner ear Gravity Sensing Saccule and Utricle Otolith Astronomy and Astrophysics Anatomy Salamandridae biology.organism_classification Semicircular Canals body regions Sensory epithelium Geophysics medicine.anatomical_structure Space and Planetary Science Embryology General Earth and Planetary Sciences Female sense organs Otic vesicle Cynops pyrrhogaster Gravitation |
| Zdroj: | Advances in Space Research. 14:327-330 |
| ISSN: | 0273-1177 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/0273-1177(94)90419-7 |
| Popis: | Pre-mated adult female newts and fertilized eggs will be flown on the International Microgravity Laboratory-2 flight, in 1994. One objective of the flight will be to observe the influence of microgravity on the development of the gravity-sensing organs in the inner ear. These organs contain sensory hair cells covered by a layer of dense stones (otoconia). Gravity and linear acceleration exert forces on these masses, leading to excitation of the nerve fibers innervating the hair cells. If the production of the otoliths is regulated to reach an optimal weight, their development might be abnormal in microgravity. Ground-based control experiments are reported describing the developmental sequence in which both the otoliths and their associated sensory epithelium and the semicircular canals appear and develop. Three-dimensional reconstruction of serial sections through the otic vesicle of newt embryos at stages 31 through 58 demonstrate the first appearance, relative position and growth of the otoliths. Reports of experiments in which fertilized frog eggs were flown on a Russian Cosmos mission conclude that the utricular otolith is increased in volume, whereas the saccular otolith maintains normal size, suggesting that at least in the utricle, the weight of the otolith might be regulated. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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