Tumor Necrosis Factor Superfamily (TNFSF) and Tumor Factor Receptor Superfamily (TNFRSF) regulate cell apoptosis, metabolism and development. To explore the expression and function of TNFSF and TNFRSF in teleosts, we cloned tnfsf10 and tnfrsf10 of the sterlet, Acipenser ruthenus,and analyzed their structure and evolution. Results showed that, Tnfsf10 and Tnfrsf10 of the sterlet were located at the base of actinopterygii branch in phylogenetic tree and have low homology with Tnfsf10 and Tnfrsf10 of the tetrapod, however, their tertiary structure is similar to Tnfsf10 and Tnfrsf10 of the human. Whole-mount in situ hybridization analysis showed that tnfsf10 and tnfrsf10 were mainly expressed in the horizontal muscle septum of the trunk, infraorbital canal of the head, preopercular lateral line, and neuromast of the ventral rostral. After being treated with Tnfrsf10 specific activator Bioymifi, the morphology of sterlet larvae did not change significantly, but the number of hair cells in neuromast increased significantly. The findings suggest that the Tnfsf10 and Tnfrsf10 of the sterlet represent the original form of the teleost homologous protein, which may be specifically involved in the development of hair cells in the lateral line neuromast.