A gene linked to the development of hearing in humans has just been linked to sensory development in sea anemones, too.
The starlet sea anemone has similar mechanosensory hair cells on its tentacles, used for sensing movement. Little, however, was known about the anemone'sA team of researchers led by biologist Ethan Ozment of the University of Arkansas wanted to figure out what the gene was doing.
The best way to do this is to disable the gene using theThey injected a cocktail containing Cas9 protein into fertilized starlet sea anemone eggs to cut out theCompared to wild-type control anemones, the mutant animals showed abnormal development of the tentacular hair cells, and showed no response to touch. WithoutIn addition, knocking outthat is found in vertebrates, where it is required for the sensing of fluid flow in kidneys.