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Zebrafish has become an excellent model for studying the development and function of inner ear. We report here a zebrafish line in which claudin 7b (cldn7b) locus is interrupted by a Tol2 transposon at its first intron. The homozygous mutants have enlarged otocysts, smaller or no otoliths, slowly formed semicircular canals, and insensitiveness to sound stimulation. These abnormal phenotypes and hearing loss of inner ear could be mostly rescued by injection of cldn7b-mRNA into one-cell stage homozygous mutant embryos. Mechanistically, cldn7b-deficiency interrupted the formation of apical junction complexes (AJCs) in otic epithelial cells of inner ear and the ion-homeostasis of endolymph, which then led to the loss of proper contact between otoliths and normally developed hair cells in utricle and saccule or aberrant mechanosensory transduction. Thus, Cldn7b is essential for the formation and proper function of inner ear through its unique role in keeping an initial integrity of otic epithelia during zebrafish embryogenesis.

Graphdiyne can serve as both the electron‐acceptor and electron‐donor due to its distinct topological and electronic structure. The unique electron‐transfer behavior promotes its widespread applications. In article number 1800959, Dan Wang and co‐workers discuss advances in how graphdiyne and its composite materials are used for photo‐ and electrochemical energy conversion areas, such as solar cells, photocatalysis, water splitting, and fuel cells.

As a rising star of carbon allotropes, graphynes (GYs) merely consist of sp‐ and sp2‐hybridized carbon atoms, which endow them a large conjugated network and expanded 2D porous structure. With unique topological structure, GYs display unusual semiconducting properties, especially in the aspects of charge mobility and electron transport. Among the members of the GY family, only graphdiyne (GD) can be successfully synthesized in large quantities. The advanced properties of GD make it promising in various applications. Here, the recent progress in the synthesis of GD and GD‐based composites is reviewed as well as their applications in photorelated and electrocatalytic applications. It is hoped that this Review will promote the development and applications of carbon chemistry.