Is the dumbo mutation a disorder of first and second pharyngeal arch development?
Nobody knows for sure, because the dumbo mutation has never been studied in the laboratory. However, there are strong similarities between the features of dumbo rats and the clinical features of first and second pharyngeal arch syndromes in humans. The dumbo rat’s malformed and malpositioned ears, possible small jaw, possible differences in eye shape and position, and possible underdevelopment of the muscles that move the ears or the nerves that control them, are all strongly suggestive of a first and second pharyngeal arch disorder. This is a hypothesis at this point, of course. The answer must await future investigation by geneticists and developmental biologists. Dumbo rats may turn out to be a potential animal model for first and second pharyngeal arch disorders in humans.
