The zebrafish provides a useful experimental system for investigations of aural 
development. To permit the controlled expression of transgenes in developing 
hair cells, we isolated the genomic control regions of the parvalbumin 3a 
(pvalb3a) and parvalbumin 3b (pvalb3b) genes. Deletion analysis and somatic-cell 
transgenesis restricted the cis-acting control regions for hair cells to as 
little as 484base pairs for pvalb3a and 650base pairs for pvalb3b. Using both 
meganuclease-mediated and standard methods, we produced transgenic animals that 
transmit transgenes through their germ lines. These fish express GFP in hair 
cells in the inner ear and lateral line. Two stable transgenic lines express GFP 
prior to hair-bundle formation, so the associated promoter constructs are 
suitable for manipulating gene expression during bundle development. We 
additionally identified a transgenic line that offers variable labeling of 
supporting cells.