Thyroid hormone-responsive genes mediate otolith growth and development during flatfish metamorphosis

Flatfish begin life as up-right swimming, bilaterally symmetrical larvae that metamorphose into asymmetrically shaped juveniles that swim with a highly lateralized posture. We have previously shown that TH induces abrupt growth and mineralization of one component of the vestibular system, the otoliths, during early larval development and metamorphosis. Here we report that four of five vestibular-specific genes that we tested (alpha-tectorin, otogelin, otolith matrix protein, and otopetrins 1 and 2 that are known to be associated with otolith development in other vertebrates are up-regulated 1.5- to 7-fold in larval flatfish during spontaneous metamorphosis and/or following 72 h of TH treatment. These findings suggest that otolith growth and development are mediated by diverse TH-responsive genes during flatfish metamorphosis.