Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42029006›Full record

ArticleeLife2026

The dual molecular identity of vestibular kinocilia bridges structural and functional traits of primary and motile cilia.

Zhenhang Xu, Amirrasoul Tavakoli, Samadhi Kulasooriya, Huizhan Liu, Shu Tu, Celia Bloom, Yi Li, Tirone D Johnson, Jian Zuo, Litao Tao and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in eLife, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Zhenhang Xu *Department of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University, Omaha, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9527-5207
Amirrasoul Tavakoli *Laboratory of Cell Structure and Dynamics, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7991-9858
Samadhi KulasooriyaDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University, Omaha, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3553-4121
Huizhan LiuDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University, Omaha, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2400-3284
Shu TuDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University, Omaha, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3692-6617
Celia BloomDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University, Omaha, United States.
Yi LiDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University, Omaha, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9986-6546
Tirone D JohnsonLaboratory of Cell Structure and Dynamics, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9279-4965
Jian ZuoDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University, Omaha, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6278-6335
Litao TaoDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University, Omaha, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9801-6515
Bechara KacharLaboratory of Cell Structure and Dynamics, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2803-8700
David Z HeDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University, Omaha, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8383-9634

Funding

TRANSGENIC EXPRESSION ANALYSIS OF MIRNA-144P20RR018788 · NCRR · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER · PI NICHOLS, DAVID G · 2003 to 2011
$16.5M
Understanding the progression of hearing loss in an endolymphatic hydrops modelP20GM139762 · NIGMS · CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY · PI Hui Hong · 2021 to 2026
$16.1M
MOLECULAR BASIS OF TRANSDUCTION IN AUDITORY SENSORY ORGANSZ01DC000002 · NIDCD · NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS · PI KACHAR, BECHARA · 1989 to 2008
$3.9M
Mechanisms of Biological Aging of Cochlear Hair CellsR01DC016807 · NIDCD · CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY · PI HE, ZHI-ZHOU · 2018 to 2022
$1.9M
Intramural NIH HHS Z01 DC000002NCRR NIH HHS P20 RR018788NIDCD NIH HHS R01 DC016807NIGMS NIH HHS P20 GM139762NIH HHS R01 DC016807NIH HHS Z01-DC000002
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Vestibular hair cells (HCs) convert gravitational and head motion cues into neural signals through mechanotransduction, mediated by the hair bundle-a mechanically integrated organelle composed of stereocilia and a kinocilium. The kinocilium, a specialized form of primary cilium, remains incompletely defined in structure, molecular composition, and function. To elucidate its characteristics, we conducted single-cell RNA sequencing of adult vestibular and cochlear HCs, uncovering a selective enrichment of primary and motile cilia-associated genes in vestibular HCs, particularly those related to the axonemal repeat complex. This enrichment of orthologous axoneme-related genes was conserved in zebrafish and human vestibular HCs, indicating a shared molecular architecture. Immunostaining validated the expression of key motile cilia markers in vestibular kinocilia. Moreover, live imaging of bullfrog and mouse HCs from crista ampullaris revealed spontaneous kinociliary motion. Together, these findings define the kinocilium as a unique organelle with molecular features of primary and motile cilia and suggest its previously unknown role as an active, force-generating element within the hair bundle.

Indexed as

CiliaHair Cells, VestibularAnimalsHumansMechanotransduction, CellularMiceSingle-Cell Gene Expression AnalysisZebrafishhair cellshumankinociliamouseneurosciencescRNA-seqzebrafish

Identifiers

PMID42029006
PMCPMC13108966

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.