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Fig. 4 Reduction in the number of inner-ear hair cells in mutant larvae. The total number of hair cells was assessed at three developmental times by counting the number of Alexa 488-phalloidin-labeled hair bundles in all sensory epithelia. A reduction in number became noticeable from 60 hpf, as shown here in single confocal sections through WT (A) and mutant (B) posterior maculae. By 120 hpf, many more hair cells had been added to the posterior macula in the WT (C), but little change was observed in the mutant (D), as seen in projections of Z-series through the posterior maculae. In D, arrows show anterior (A) and dorsal (D) directions. (Scale bars: 50 μm.) (E) Similar results were observed when hair cells from all five sensory epithelia in the inner ear were counted at three developmental stages. At least eight larvae were examined for each data point.