Defects in myosin VIIA, as well as in other interactors of the myosin VIIA network, are involved in Usher syndrome and in non-syndromic hearing loss. The map shows the connections between the proteins reported in the hearing system and other interactions diverged from the proteins inserted. It has been suggested that many of the proteins might function together in a common cellular network. The similarities of the clinical phenotypes within the different types of Usher syndrome may provide evidence that the mutated genes of each type might affect a common mechanism. Experimental evidence to support this notion has come from studies indicating that some of the Usher 1 proteins can interact with each other.
