Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42236700›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Tonotopic specialization of MYO7A isoforms in auditory hair cells.

Sihan Li, Jinho Park, Tobey M Phan, Giusy A Caprara, Natchanon Sittipongpittaya, Gloria M Sheynkman, Anthony W Peng, Edward H Egelman, Jonathan E Bird, Jung-Bum Shin

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 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. PIPbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  2. A regulatory axis for tonotopic MYO7A expression in cochlear hair cells.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Sihan Li *Departments of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5396-6181
Jinho Park *Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3664-2238
Tobey M PhanDepartments of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
Giusy A CapraraDepartment of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
Natchanon SittipongpittayaDepartment of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-6369-9337
Gloria M SheynkmanDepartment of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4223-9947
Anthony W PengDepartment of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2208-6779
Edward H EgelmanDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4844-5212
Jonathan E BirdDepartment of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. j.bird@ufl.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5531-8794
Jung-Bum ShinDepartments of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA. js2ee@virginia.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3047-0874

Funding

Cryo-EM of Helical Protein and Nucleoprotein Polymers at Near Atomic ResolutionR35GM122510 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · PI EDWARD H. EGELMAN · 2017 to 2026
$7.3M
Molecular mechanisms of cochlear hair bundle mechanicsR01DC016868 · NIDCD · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI Anthony Wei Peng · 2018 to 2026
$4.1M
Molecular Mechanisms of Hair Bundle Development and MaintenanceR01DC018827 · NIDCD · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · PI Jonathan Edward Bird · 2020 to 2026
$3.0M
Significance of Myo7a isoforms in hair cell functionR01DC018842 · NIDCD · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · PI Jung-Bum Shin · 2020 to 2026
$2.9M
Uncovering the functional diversification mechanisms of transcription factor isoforms involved in stem cell differentiationR35GM142647 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · PI SHEYNKMAN, GLORIA · 2021 to 2025
$2.1M
Investigating the molecular mechanism of slow adaptationR21DC019701 · NIDCD · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI CAPRARA, GIUSY A · 2021 to 2022
$311k
NIDCD NIH HHS R01 DC016868NIDCD NIH HHS R01 DC018827NIDCD NIH HHS R01 DC018842NIDCD NIH HHS R21 DC019701NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM122510NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM142647U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) R35GM122510U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) R35GM142647U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) R01DC016868U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) R01DC018827U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) R01DC018842U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) R21DC019701
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Mutations in Myo7a cause Usher syndrome type 1B and non-syndromic deafness, but the precise function of MYO7A in sensory hair cells remains unclear. Using long-read sequencing, we identify and characterize a novel isoform, MYO7A-N, expressed in auditory hair cells alongside the canonical MYO7A-C. Isoform-specific knock-in mouse models reveal that inner hair cells primarily express MYO7A-C, while outer hair cells express both isoforms in opposing tonotopic gradients. Both isoforms are localized to the upper tip-link insertion site, consistent with a role in the tip link for mechanotransduction. Loss of MYO7A-N leads to outer hair cell degeneration and progressive hearing loss. Cryo-EM structures reveal isoform-specific differences at actomyosin interfaces, correlating with distinct ATPase activities. These findings reveal an unexpected layer of molecular diversity within the mechanotransduction machinery. We propose that MYO7A isoform specialization enables fine-tuning of tip-link tension, thus hearing sensitivity, and contributes to the frequency-resolving power of the cochlea.

Indexed as

Hair Cells, AuditoryMyosin VIIaActomyosinAnimalsCochleaCryoelectron MicroscopyGene Knock-In TechniquesHair Cells, Auditory, InnerHair Cells, Auditory, OuterHumansMechanotransduction, CellularMiceProtein IsoformsUsher SyndromesActomyosinMYO7A protein, humanMyo7a protein, mouseMyosin VIIaProtein Isoforms

Identifiers

PMID42236700
PMCPMC13396587

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.