Acoustic communication, a cornerstone of social interactions in mammals, relies on both vocal (effector) and auditory (receptor) organs, which display remarkable morphological diversity across species. The molecular mechanisms supporting the coordinated diversification of effector and receptor systems along with the evolution of species-specific acoustic communication are still poorly understood. A plausible hypothesis is that common genetic pathways orchestrate the parallel morphogenesis of vocal and auditory structures. Here, we addressed this question by generating mutant mice with targeted inactivation of Dlx5/6 genes in the Sox10 lineage, which includes neural crest and otic placode derivatives that contribute to the formation of vocal tract and ear components. We show that Dlx5/6 inactivation led to simultaneous patterning defects in the outer, middle and inner ear and of the jaw, pharynx and larynx musculoskeletal systems. We further show that Dlx5/6 modulate the BMP signalling pathway in both pharyngeal arches and otic vesicle, revealing a common Dlx5/6-BMP axis acting concurrently within the Sox10 derivatives. These findings highlight a pleiotropic role of Dlx5/6 in vocal and auditory morphogenesis, thereby suggesting their contribution in the co-adaptation of effector and receptor organs and in the diversification of acoustic communication in mammals.

Central European Institute of Technology Brno University of Technology Brno Czech Republic

Institut de Biologie Paris Seine Sorbonne Université CNRS Inserm UAR 3631 I2PS Paris France

Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon CNRS UMR 5242 École Normale Supérieure de Lyon Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 Lyon France

Laboratoire Physiologie Moléculaire et Adaptation CNRS UMR 7221 Département Adaptations du Vivant Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle Paris France

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