In the inner ear, the neural crest gives rise to the glia of the VIII ganglion and two types of melanocytic cells: The pigmented cells of the vestibular system and intermediate cells of the stria vascularis. We analyzed the transcriptome of neonatal intermediate cells in an effort to better understand the development of the stria vascularis. We found that the expression of endothelin receptor B, which is essential for melanocyte development, persists in intermediate cells long after birth. In contrast, skin melanocytes rapidly downregulate the expression of EdnrB. Our findings suggest that endothelins might have co‐opted new functions in the inner ear during evolution of the auditory organ.

中文翻译：

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耳蜗中间细胞中的转录组学分析和 ednrb 表达揭示了内耳和皮肤黑色素细胞之间的发育差异

在内耳中，神经嵴产生第八神经节的神经胶质和两种类型的黑素细胞：前庭系统的色素细胞和血管纹的中间细胞。我们分析了新生儿中间细胞的转录组，以更好地了解血管纹的发育。我们发现，对于黑素细胞发育至关重要的内皮素受体 B 的表达在出生后很长时间内持续存在于中间细胞中。相反，皮肤黑色素细胞迅速下调EdnrB的表达。我们的研究结果表明，在听觉器官的进化过程中，内皮素可能在内耳中增加了新的功能。