The skate spiracular organ develops from a unique neurogenic placode that is distinct from lateral line placodes.

ABSTRACT: The spiracular organ is an epithelial pouch or tube lined with mechanosensory hair cells that is found embedded in the wall of the spiracle in many non-teleost jawed fishes. It is innervated via a branch of the anterior lateral line nerve and usually considered a specialised lateral line organ, despite its presumed function as a proprioceptor for jaw movement. It is homologous to the paratympanic organ: a hair cell-lined epithelial pouch embedded in the wall of the middle ear of birds, alligators and Sphenodon. A previous study showed that the chicken paratympanic organ and its afferent neurons originate from a molecularly distinct placode immediately dorsal to the geniculate placode. Here, fate mapping in a cartilaginous fish (little skate, Leucoraja erinacea) shows that the spiracular or

SUBMITTER: Gillis JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12516317 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature