The ear drum, or tympanic membrane (TM), is a key component in the intricate relay that transmits air‐borne sound to our fluid‐filled inner ear. Despite early belief that the mammalian ear drum evolved as a transformation of a reptilian drum, newer fossil data suggests a parallel and independent evolution of this structure in mammals. The term “drum” belies what is in fact a complex three‐dimensional structure formed from multiple embryonic cell lineages. Intriguingly, disease affects the ear drum differently in its different parts, with the superior and posterior parts being much more frequently affected. This suggests a key role for the developmental details of TM formation in its final form and function, both in homeostasis and regeneration. Here we review recent studies in rodent models and humans that are beginning to address large knowledge gaps in TM cell dynamics from a developmental biologist's point of view. We outline the biological and clinical uncertainties that remain, with a view to guiding the indispensable contribution that developmental biology will be able to make to better understanding the TM.

中文翻译：

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鼓膜的发育方面：揭示功能和疾病。

耳鼓或鼓膜（TM）是复杂继电器中的关键组件，该继电器将空气传播的声音传输到充满液体的内耳。尽管早期相信哺乳动物的耳鼓是爬行动物鼓的一种进化，但最新的化石数据表明这种结构在哺乳动物中是平行且独立的。“鼓”一词掩盖了实际上是由多个胚胎细胞谱系形成的复杂的三维结构。有趣的是，疾病在其不同部位对鼓膜的影响不同，上部和后部的患病频率更高。这暗示了TM形成的最终形式和功能的稳态和再生中的关键作用。在这里，我们回顾了啮齿动物模型和人类的最新研究，这些研究开始从发育生物学家的角度解决TM细胞动力学方面的大量知识空白。我们概述了仍然存在的生物学和临床不确定性，以期指导发育生物学将能够为更好地理解TM做出不可或缺的贡献。