The abstract is read at the publisher; the summary is JClub's.
In larval zebrafish, Hip14/zDHHC17 regulates acoustic startle sensitivity without needing its DHHC catalytic domain, while habituation requires it and depends on neuronal expression.
- Why it matters: Animals must filter irrelevant sensory inputs and habituate to repeated stimuli, but how Hip14 controls these overlapping behaviors—and whether distinct mechanisms are used—was unclear.
- What they did: Larval zebrafish lacking Hip14 were tested for acoustic startle sensitivity and habituation, using constructs that separate the DHHC catalytic domain from the N-terminal ankyrin repeat domains and restoring expression in mechanosensory hair cells versus neurons.
- The result: The DHHC domain is not required for startle sensitivity yet is sufficient for habituation; restoring Hip14 in either hair cells or neurons normalizes startle sensitivity, whereas habituation is rescued only by neuronal expression, and ankyrin repeat domains are crucial.
The findingWhy it mattersWhat they didThe result
AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.