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Lee JH, Perez-Flores MC, Park S, Kim HJ, Chen Y, Kang M, Kersigo J, Choi J, Thai PN, Woltz RL, Perez-Flores DC, Perkins G, Sihn CR, Trinh P, Zhang XD, Sirish P, Dong Y, Feng WW, Pessah IN, Dixon RE, Sokolowski B, Fritzsch B, Chiamvimonvat N, Yamoah EN. The Piezo channel is a mechano-sensitive complex component in the mammalian inner ear hair cell. Nat Commun 2024; 15:526. [PMID: 38228630 PMCID: PMC10791687 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44230-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The inner ear is the hub where hair cells (HCs) transduce sound, gravity, and head acceleration stimuli to the brain. Hearing and balance rely on mechanosensation, the fastest sensory signals transmitted to the brain. The mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channel is the entryway for the sound-balance-brain interface, but the channel-complex composition is not entirely known. Here, we report that the mouse utilizes Piezo1 (Pz1) and Piezo2 (Pz2) isoforms as MET-complex components. The Pz channels, expressed in HC stereocilia, and cell lines are co-localized and co-assembled with MET complex partners. Mice expressing non-functional Pz1 and Pz2 at the ROSA26 locus have impaired auditory and vestibular traits that can only be explained if the Pzs are integral to the MET complex. We suggest that Pz subunits constitute part of the MET complex and that interactions with other MET complex components yield functional MET units to generate HC MET currents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong Han Lee
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Maria C Perez-Flores
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Seojin Park
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
- Prestige Biopharma, 11-12F, 44, Myongjigukje7-ro, Gangseo-gu, Busan, 67264, South Korea
| | - Hyo Jeong Kim
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Yingying Chen
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Mincheol Kang
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
- Prestige Biopharma, 11-12F, 44, Myongjigukje7-ro, Gangseo-gu, Busan, 67264, South Korea
| | | | - Jinsil Choi
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Phung N Thai
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Ryan L Woltz
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | | | - Guy Perkins
- National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Choong-Ryoul Sihn
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Pauline Trinh
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Xiao-Dong Zhang
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Padmini Sirish
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Yao Dong
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, 1089 VM3B, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Wayne Wei Feng
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, 1089 VM3B, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Isaac N Pessah
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, 1089 VM3B, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Rose E Dixon
- Department of Physiology & Membrane Biology, Tupper Hall, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Bernd Sokolowski
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Bernd Fritzsch
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Nipavan Chiamvimonvat
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- VA Northern California Healthcare System, Sacramento, USA
| | - Ebenezer N Yamoah
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
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Beurg M, Schwalbach ET, Fettiplace R. LHFPL5 is a key element in force transmission from the tip link to the hair cell mechanotransducer channel. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2318270121. [PMID: 38194445 PMCID: PMC10801851 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2318270121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
During auditory transduction, sound-evoked vibrations of the hair cell stereociliary bundles open mechanotransducer (MET) ion channels via tip links extending from one stereocilium to its neighbor. How tension in the tip link is delivered to the channel is not fully understood. The MET channel comprises a pore-forming subunit, transmembrane channel-like protein (TMC1 or TMC2), aided by several accessory proteins, including LHFPL5 (lipoma HMGIC fusion partner-like 5). We investigated the role of LHFPL5 in transduction by comparing MET channel activation in outer hair cells of Lhfpl5-/- knockout mice with those in Lhfpl5+/- heterozygotes. The 10 to 90 percent working range of transduction in Tmc1+/+; Lhfpl5+/- was 52 nm, from which the single-channel gating force, Z, was evaluated as 0.34 pN. However, in Tmc1+/+; Lhfpl5-/- mice, the working range increased to 123 nm and Z more than halved to 0.13 pN, indicating reduced sensitivity. Tip link tension is thought to activate the channel via a gating spring, whose stiffness is inferred from the stiffness change on tip link destruction. The gating stiffness was ~40 percent of the total bundle stiffness in wild type but was virtually abolished in Lhfpl5-/-, implicating LHFPL5 as a principal component of the gating spring. The mutation Tmc1 p.D569N reduced the LHFPL5 immunolabeling in the stereocilia and like Lhfpl5-/- doubled the MET working range, but other deafness mutations had no effect on the dynamic range. We conclude that tip-link tension is transmitted to the channel primarily via LHFPL5; residual activation without LHFPL5 may occur by direct interaction between PCDH15 and TMC1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryline Beurg
- Department of Neuroscience, University of WisconsinSchool of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI53706
| | - Evan Travis Schwalbach
- Department of Neuroscience, University of WisconsinSchool of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI53706
| | - Robert Fettiplace
- Department of Neuroscience, University of WisconsinSchool of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI53706
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Scharr AL, Ó Maoiléidigh D, Ricci AJ. Coupling between the Stereocilia of Rat Sensory Inner-Hair-Cell Hair Bundles Is Weak, Shaping Their Sensitivity to Stimulation. J Neurosci 2023; 43:2053-2074. [PMID: 36746628 PMCID: PMC10039747 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1588-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The hair bundle is the universal mechanosensory organelle of auditory, vestibular, and lateral-line systems. A bundle comprises mechanically coupled stereocilia, whose displacements in response to stimulation activate a receptor current. The similarity of stereociliary displacements within a bundle regulates fundamental properties of the receptor current like its speed, magnitude, and sensitivity. However, the dynamics of individual stereocilia from the mammalian cochlea in response to a known bundle stimulus has not been quantified. We developed a novel high-speed system, which dynamically stimulates and tracks individual inner-hair-cell stereocilia from male and female rats. Stimulating two to three of the tallest stereocilia within a bundle (nonuniform stimulation) caused dissimilar stereociliary displacements. Stereocilia farther from the stimulator moved less, but with little delay, implying that there is little slack in the system. Along the axis of mechanical sensitivity, stereocilium displacements peaked and reversed direction in response to a step stimulus. A viscoelastic model explained the observed displacement dynamics, which implies that coupling between the tallest stereocilia is effectively viscoelastic. Coupling elements between the tallest inner-hair-cell stereocilia were two to three times stronger than elements anchoring stereocilia to the surface of the cell but were 100-10,000 times weaker than those of a well-studied noncochlear hair bundle. Coupling was too weak to ensure that stereocilia move similarly in response to nonuniform stimulation at auditory frequencies. Our results imply that more uniform stimulation across the tallest stereocilia of an inner-hair-cell bundle in vivo is required to ensure stereociliary displacement similarity, increasing the speed, sensitivity, and magnitude of the receptor current.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Generation of the receptor current of the hair cell is the first step in electrically encoding auditory information in the hearing organs of all vertebrates. The receptor current is shaped by mechanical coupling between stereocilia in the hair bundle of each hair cell. Here, we provide foundational information on the mechanical coupling between stereocilia of cochlear inner-hair cells. In contrast to other types of hair cell, coupling between inner-hair-cell stereocilia is weak, causing slower, smaller, and less sensitive receptor currents in response to stimulation of few, rather than many, stereocilia. Our results imply that inner-hair cells need many stereocilia to be stimulated in vivo to ensure fast, large, and sensitive receptor currents.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Anthony J Ricci
- Department of Otolaryngology
- Neuroscience Graduate Program
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305
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The tetraspan LHFPL5 is critical to establish maximal force sensitivity of the mechanotransduction channel of cochlear hair cells. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112245. [PMID: 36917610 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The mechanoelectrical transduction (MET) channel of cochlear hair cells is gated by the tip link, but the mechanisms that establish the exquisite force sensitivity of this MET channel are not known. Here, we show that the tetraspan lipoma HMGIC fusion partner-like 5 (LHFPL5) directly couples the tip link to the MET channel. Disruption of these interactions severely perturbs MET. Notably, the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain of LHFPL5 binds to an amphipathic helix in TMC1, a critical gating domain conserved between different MET channels. Mutations in the amphipathic helix of TMC1 or in the N-terminus of LHFPL5 that perturb interactions of LHFPL5 with the amphipathic helix affect channel responses to mechanical force. We conclude that LHFPL5 couples the tip link to the MET channel and that channel gating depends on a structural element in TMC1 that is evolutionarily conserved between MET channels. Overall, our findings support a tether model for transduction channel gating by the tip link.
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Qiu X, Müller U. Sensing sound: Cellular specializations and molecular force sensors. Neuron 2022; 110:3667-3687. [PMID: 36223766 PMCID: PMC9671866 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Organisms of all phyla express mechanosensitive ion channels with a wide range of physiological functions. In recent years, several classes of mechanically gated ion channels have been identified. Some of these ion channels are intrinsically mechanosensitive. Others depend on accessory proteins to regulate their response to mechanical force. The mechanotransduction machinery of cochlear hair cells provides a particularly striking example of a complex force-sensing machine. This molecular ensemble is embedded into a specialized cellular compartment that is crucial for its function. Notably, mechanotransduction channels of cochlear hair cells are not only critical for auditory perception. They also shape their cellular environment and regulate the development of auditory circuitry. Here, we summarize recent discoveries that have shed light on the composition of the mechanotransduction machinery of cochlear hair cells and how this machinery contributes to the development and function of the auditory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xufeng Qiu
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Ulrich Müller
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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6
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The conductance and organization of the TMC1-containing mechanotransducer channel complex in auditory hair cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2210849119. [PMID: 36191207 PMCID: PMC9564823 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2210849119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We studied the role of TMC1 as the central component of the hair cell mechanotransducer (MET) channel by characterizing transduction in mice harboring mutations in the pore region. All Tmc1 mutations reduced the Ca2+ influx into the hair bundle. Two mutations (Tmc1 p.D528N or Tmc1 p.E520Q) also decreased channel conductance and two (Tmc1 p. D569N or Tmc1 p.W554L) lowered expression. These mutations endorse TMC1 as the pore of the MET channel. The MET channel also contains accessory subunits, LHFPL5 and TMIE. MET currents were small in Lhfpl5 or Tmie knockout mice. Nevertheless, MET channels could still be activated by hair bundle displacement; single-channel conductance was unaffected in Lhfpl5−/− but reduced in Tmie−/−, suggesting TMIE likely contributes to the pore. Transmembrane channel-like protein 1 (TMC1) is thought to form the ion-conducting pore of the mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channel in auditory hair cells. Using single-channel analysis and ionic permeability measurements, we characterized six missense mutations in the purported pore region of mouse TMC1. All mutations reduced the Ca2+ permeability of the MET channel, triggering hair cell apoptosis and deafness. In addition, Tmc1 p.E520Q and Tmc1 p.D528N reduced channel conductance, whereas Tmc1 p.W554L and Tmc1 p.D569N lowered channel expression without affecting the conductance. Tmc1 p.M412K and Tmc1 p.T416K reduced only the Ca2+ permeability. The consequences of these mutations endorse TMC1 as the pore of the MET channel. The accessory subunits, LHFPL5 and TMIE, are thought to be involved in targeting TMC1 to the tips of the stereocilia. We found sufficient expression of TMC1 in outer hair cells of Lhfpl5 and Tmie knockout mice to determine the properties of the channels, which could still be gated by hair bundle displacement. Single-channel conductance was unaffected in Lhfpl5−/− but was reduced in Tmie−/−, implying TMIE very likely contributes to the pore. Both the working range and half-saturation point of the residual MET current in Lhfpl5−/− were substantially increased, suggesting that LHFPL5 is part of the mechanical coupling between the tip-link and the MET channel. Based on counts of numbers of stereocilia per bundle, we estimate that each PCDH15 and LHFPL5 monomer may contact two channels irrespective of location.
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Burwood G, Hakizimana P, Nuttall AL, Fridberger A. Best frequencies and temporal delays are similar across the low-frequency regions of the guinea pig cochlea. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabq2773. [PMID: 36149949 PMCID: PMC9506724 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq2773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The cochlea maps tones with different frequencies to distinct anatomical locations. For instance, a faint 5000-hertz tone produces brisk responses at a place approximately 8 millimeters into the 18-millimeter-long guinea pig cochlea, but little response elsewhere. This place code pervades the auditory pathways, where neurons have "best frequencies" determined by their connections to the sensory cells in the hearing organ. However, frequency selectivity in cochlear regions encoding low-frequency sounds has not been systematically studied. Here, we show that low-frequency hearing works according to a unique principle that does not involve a place code. Instead, sound-evoked responses and temporal delays are similar across the low-frequency regions of the cochlea. These findings are a break from theories considered proven for 100 years and have broad implications for understanding information processing in the brainstem and cortex and for optimizing the stimulus delivery in auditory implants.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Burwood
- Oregon Hearing Research Center, Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Pierre Hakizimana
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Alfred L Nuttall
- Oregon Hearing Research Center, Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
- Corresponding author. (A.L.N.); (A.F.)
| | - Anders Fridberger
- Oregon Hearing Research Center, Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
- Corresponding author. (A.L.N.); (A.F.)
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cAMP and voltage modulate rat auditory mechanotransduction by decreasing the stiffness of gating springs. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2107567119. [PMID: 35858439 PMCID: PMC9335186 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2107567119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulation of auditory sensitivity contributes to the precision, dynamic range, and protection of the auditory system. Regulation of the hair cell mechanotransduction channel is a major contributor to controlling the sensitivity of the auditory transduction process. The gating spring is a critical piece of the mechanotransduction machinery because it opens and closes the mechanotransduction channel, and its stiffness regulates the sensitivity of the mechanotransduction process. In the present work, we characterize the effect of the second-messenger signaling molecule cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and identify that it reduces gating spring stiffness likely through an exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (EPAC)-mediated pathway. This is a unique physiologic mechanism to regulate gating spring stiffness. Hair cells of the auditory and vestibular systems transform mechanical input into electrical potentials through the mechanoelectrical transduction process (MET). Deflection of the mechanosensory hair bundle increases tension in the gating springs that open MET channels. Regulation of MET channel sensitivity contributes to the auditory system’s precision, wide dynamic range and, potentially, protection from overexcitation. Modulating the stiffness of the gating spring modulates the sensitivity of the MET process. Here, we investigated the role of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in rat outer hair cell MET and found that cAMP up-regulation lowers the sensitivity of the channel in a manner consistent with decreasing gating spring stiffness. Direct measurements of the mechanical properties of the hair bundle confirmed a decrease in gating spring stiffness with cAMP up-regulation. In parallel, we found that prolonged depolarization mirrored the effects of cAMP. Finally, a limited number of experiments implicate that cAMP activates the exchange protein directly activated by cAMP to mediate the changes in MET sensitivity. These results reveal that cAMP signaling modulates gating spring stiffness to affect auditory sensitivity.
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9
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Signatures of cochlear processing in neuronal coding of auditory information. Mol Cell Neurosci 2022; 120:103732. [PMID: 35489636 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2022.103732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate ear is endowed with remarkable perceptual capabilities. The faintest sounds produce vibrations of magnitudes comparable to those generated by thermal noise and can nonetheless be detected through efficient amplification of small acoustic stimuli. Two mechanisms have been proposed to underlie such sound amplification in the mammalian cochlea: somatic electromotility and active hair-bundle motility. These biomechanical mechanisms may work in concert to tune auditory sensitivity. In addition to amplitude sensitivity, the hearing system shows exceptional frequency discrimination allowing mammals to distinguish complex sounds with great accuracy. For instance, although the wide hearing range of humans encompasses frequencies from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, our frequency resolution extends to one-thirtieth of the interval between successive keys on a piano. In this article, we review the different cochlear mechanisms underlying sound encoding in the auditory system, with a particular focus on the frequency decomposition of sounds. The relation between peak frequency of activation and location along the cochlea - known as tonotopy - arises from multiple gradients in biophysical properties of the sensory epithelium. Tonotopic mapping represents a major organizational principle both in the peripheral hearing system and in higher processing levels and permits the spectral decomposition of complex tones. The ribbon synapses connecting sensory hair cells to auditory afferents and the downstream spiral ganglion neurons are also tuned to process periodic stimuli according to their preferred frequency. Though sensory hair cells and neurons necessarily filter signals beyond a few kHz, many animals can hear well beyond this range. We finally describe how the cochlear structure shapes the neural code for further processing in order to send meaningful information to the brain. Both the phase-locked response of auditory nerve fibers and tonotopy are key to decode sound frequency information and place specific constraints on the downstream neuronal network.
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10
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Mechanotransduction in mammalian sensory hair cells. Mol Cell Neurosci 2022; 120:103706. [PMID: 35218890 PMCID: PMC9177625 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2022.103706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In the inner ear, the auditory and vestibular systems detect and translate sensory information regarding sound and balance. The sensory cells that transform mechanical input into an electrical signal in these systems are called hair cells. A specialized organelle on the apical surface of the hair cells called the hair bundle detects the mechanical signals. Displacement of the hair bundle causes mechanotransduction channels to open. The morphology and organization of the hair bundle, as well as the properties and characteristics of the mechanotransduction process, differ between the different hair cell types in the auditory and vestibular systems. These differences likely contribute to maximizing the transduction of specific signals in each system. This review will discuss the molecules essential for mechanotransduction and the properties of the mechanotransduction process, focusing our attention on recent data and differences between the auditory and vestibular systems.
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11
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Nanchung and Inactive define pore properties of the native auditory transduction channel in Drosophila. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2106459118. [PMID: 34848538 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2106459118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Auditory transduction is mediated by chordotonal (Cho) neurons in Drosophila larvae, but the molecular identity of the mechanotransduction (MET) channel is elusive. Here, we established a whole-cell recording system of Cho neurons and showed that two transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) channels, Nanchung (NAN) and Inactive (IAV), are essential for MET currents in Cho neurons. NAN and IAV form active ion channels when expressed simultaneously in S2 cells. Point mutations in the pore region of NAN-IAV change the reversal potential of the MET currents. Particularly, residues 857 through 990 in the IAV carboxyl terminus regulate the kinetics of MET currents in Cho neurons. In addition, TRPN channel NompC contributes to the adaptation of auditory transduction currents independent of its ion-conduction function. These results indicate that NAN-IAV, rather than NompC, functions as essential pore-forming subunits of the native auditory transduction channel in Drosophila and provide insights into the gating mechanism of MET currents in Cho neurons.
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12
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Beurg M, Nam JH, Fettiplace R. The speed of the hair cell mechanotransducer channel revealed by fluctuation analysis. J Gen Physiol 2021; 153:212584. [PMID: 34411238 PMCID: PMC8383808 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202112959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Although mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channels have been extensively studied, uncertainty persists about their molecular architecture and single-channel conductance. We made electrical measurements from mouse cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs) to reexamine the MET channel conductance comparing two different methods. Analysis of fluctuations in the macroscopic currents showed that the channel conductance in apical OHCs determined from nonstationary noise analysis was about half that of single-channel events recorded after tip link destruction. We hypothesized that this difference reflects a bandwidth limitation in the noise analysis, which we tested by simulations of stochastic fluctuations in modeled channels. Modeling indicated that the unitary conductance depended on the relative values of the channel activation time constant and the applied low-pass filter frequency. The modeling enabled the activation time constant of the channel to be estimated for the first time, yielding a value of only a few microseconds. We found that the channel conductance, assayed with both noise and recording of single-channel events, was reduced by a third in a new deafness mutant, Tmc1 p.D528N. Our results indicate that noise analysis is likely to underestimate MET channel amplitude, which is better characterized from recordings of single-channel events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryline Beurg
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI
| | - Jong-Hoon Nam
- Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Biomechanical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
| | - Robert Fettiplace
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI
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13
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George SS, Steele CR, Ricci AJ. A two-photon FRAP protocol to measure the stereociliary membrane diffusivity in rat cochlear hair cells. STAR Protoc 2021; 2:100637. [PMID: 34258597 PMCID: PMC8255937 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2021.100637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) has been widely used to monitor membrane properties by measuring the lateral diffusion of fluorescent particles. This protocol describes how to perform two-photon FRAP on the stereocilia of live cochlear inner hair cells using a lipophilic dye, di-3-ANEPPDHQ, to assess the stereociliary membrane diffusivity. We also detail two-photon FRAP microscope setup and calibration, as well as FRAP parameter setting and data analysis. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to George et al. (2020).
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Affiliation(s)
- Shefin S. George
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, 240 Pasteur Drive, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Charles R. Steele
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Building 520, 440 Escondido Mall, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Anthony J. Ricci
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, 240 Pasteur Drive, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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14
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Wang Y, Steele CR, Puria S, Ricci AJ. In situ motions of individual inner-hair-cell stereocilia from stapes stimulation in adult mice. Commun Biol 2021; 4:958. [PMID: 34381157 PMCID: PMC8357788 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02459-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In vertebrate hearing organs, mechanical vibrations are converted to ionic currents through mechanoelectrical-transduction (MET) channels. Concerted stereocilia motion produces an ensemble MET current driving the hair-cell receptor potential. Mammalian cochleae are unique in that the tuning of sensory cells is determined by their mechanical environment and the mode of hair-bundle stimulation that their environment creates. However, little is known about the in situ intra-hair-bundle motions of stereocilia relative to one another, or to their environment. In this study, high-speed imaging allowed the stereocilium and cell-body motions of inner hair cells to be monitored in an ex vivo organ of Corti (OoC) mouse preparation. We have found that the OoC rotates about the base of the inner pillar cell, the hair bundle rotates about its base and lags behind the motion of the apical surface of the cell, and the individual stereocilia move semi-independently within a given hair bundle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanli Wang
- Otolaryngology-HNS, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Sunil Puria
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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15
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Liu S, Wang S, Zou L, Xiong W. Mechanisms in cochlear hair cell mechano-electrical transduction for acquisition of sound frequency and intensity. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:5083-5094. [PMID: 33871677 PMCID: PMC11072359 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-03840-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Sound signals are acquired and digitized in the cochlea by the hair cells that further transmit the coded information to the central auditory pathways. Any defect in hair cell function may induce problems in the auditory system and hearing-based brain function. In the past 2 decades, our understanding of auditory transduction has been substantially deepened because of advances in molecular, structural, and functional studies. Results from these experiments can be perfectly embedded in the previously established profile from anatomical, histological, genetic, and biophysical research. This review aims to summarize the progress on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the mechano-electrical transduction (MET) channel in the cochlear hair cells, which is involved in the acquisition of sound frequency and intensity-the two major parameters of an acoustic cue. We also discuss recent studies on TMC1, the molecule likely to form the MET channel pore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, 1 Qinghuayuan, Beijing, 100084, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Tsinghua University, Tsinghua University, 1 Qinghuayuan, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Shufeng Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, 1 Qinghuayuan, Beijing, 100084, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Tsinghua University, Tsinghua University, 1 Qinghuayuan, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Linzhi Zou
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, 1 Qinghuayuan, Beijing, 100084, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Tsinghua University, Tsinghua University, 1 Qinghuayuan, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Wei Xiong
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, 1 Qinghuayuan, Beijing, 100084, China.
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Tsinghua University, Tsinghua University, 1 Qinghuayuan, Beijing, 100084, China.
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16
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Rutherford MA, von Gersdorff H, Goutman JD. Encoding sound in the cochlea: from receptor potential to afferent discharge. J Physiol 2021; 599:2527-2557. [PMID: 33644871 PMCID: PMC8127127 DOI: 10.1113/jp279189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribbon-class synapses in the ear achieve analog to digital transformation of a continuously graded membrane potential to all-or-none spikes. In mammals, several auditory nerve fibres (ANFs) carry information from each inner hair cell (IHC) to the brain in parallel. Heterogeneity of transmission among synapses contributes to the diversity of ANF sound-response properties. In addition to the place code for sound frequency and the rate code for sound level, there is also a temporal code. In series with cochlear amplification and frequency tuning, neural representation of temporal cues over a broad range of sound levels enables auditory comprehension in noisy multi-speaker settings. The IHC membrane time constant introduces a low-pass filter that attenuates fluctuations of the receptor potential above 1-2 kHz. The ANF spike generator adds a high-pass filter via its depolarization-rate threshold that rejects slow changes in the postsynaptic potential and its phasic response property that ensures one spike per depolarization. Synaptic transmission involves several stochastic subcellular processes between IHC depolarization and ANF spike generation, introducing delay and jitter that limits the speed and precision of spike timing. ANFs spike at a preferred phase of periodic sounds in a process called phase-locking that is limited to frequencies below a few kilohertz by both the IHC receptor potential and the jitter in synaptic transmission. During phase-locking to periodic sounds of increasing intensity, faster and facilitated activation of synaptic transmission and spike generation may be offset by presynaptic depletion of synaptic vesicles, resulting in relatively small changes in response phase. Here we review encoding of spike-timing at cochlear ribbon synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A. Rutherford
- Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Henrique von Gersdorff
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Hearing Research Center, Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, Oregon 97239
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17
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New Tmc1 Deafness Mutations Impact Mechanotransduction in Auditory Hair Cells. J Neurosci 2021; 41:4378-4391. [PMID: 33824189 PMCID: PMC8152607 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2537-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Transmembrane channel-like protein isoform 1 (TMC1) is a major component of the mechano-electrical transducer (MET) channel in cochlear hair cells and is subject to numerous mutations causing deafness. We report a new dominant human deafness mutation, TMC1 p.T422K, and have characterized the homologous mouse mutant, Tmc1 p.T416K, which caused deafness and outer hair cell (OHC) loss by the fourth postnatal week. MET channels showed decreased Ca2+ permeability and resting open probability, but no change in single-channel conductance or expression. Three adjacent deafness mutations are TMC1 p.L416R, p.G417R, and p.M418K, the last homologous to the mouse Beethoven that exhibits similar channel effects. All substitute a positive for a neutral residue, which could produce charge screening in the channel pore or influence binding of an accessory subunit. Channel properties were compared in mice of both sexes between dominant (Tmc1 p.T416K, Tmc1 p.D569N) and recessive (Tmc1 p.W554L, Tmc1 p.D528N) mutations of residues near the putative pore of the channel. Tmc1 p.W554L and p.D569N exhibit reduced maximum current with no effect on single-channel conductance, implying a smaller number of channels transported to the stereociliary tips; this may stem from impaired TMC1 binding to LHFPL5. Tmc1 p.D528N, located in the pore's narrowest region, uniquely caused large reductions in MET channel conductance and block by dihydrostreptomycin (DHS). For Tmc1 p.T416K and Tmc1 p.D528N, transduction loss occurred between P15 and P20. We propose two mechanisms linking channel mutations and deafness: decreased Ca2+ permeability, common to all mutants, and decreased resting open probability in low Ca2+, confined to dominant mutations. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Transmembrane channel-like protein isoform 1 (TMC1) is thought to be a major component of the mechanotransducer channel in auditory hair cells, but the protein organization and channel structure are still uncertain. We made four mouse lines harboring Tmc1 point mutations that alter channel properties, causing hair cell degeneration and deafness. These include a mouse homolog of a new human deafness mutation pT416K that decreased channel Ca2+ permeability by introducing a positively-charged amino acid in the putative pore. All mutations are consistent with the channel structure predicted from modeling, but only one, p.D528N near the external face of the pore, substantially reduced channel conductance and Ca2+ permeability and virtually abolished block by dihydrostreptomycin (DHS), strongly endorsing its siting within the pore.
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18
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Abstract
Sound-induced mechanical stimuli are detected by elaborate mechanosensory transduction (MT) machinery in highly specialized hair cells of the inner ear. Genetic studies of inherited deafness in the past decades have uncovered several molecular constituents of the MT complex, and intense debate has surrounded the molecular identity of the pore-forming subunits. How the MT components function in concert in response to physical stimulation is not fully understood. In this review, we summarize and discuss multiple lines of evidence supporting the hypothesis that transmembrane channel-like 1 is a long-sought MT channel subunit. We also review specific roles of other components of the MT complex, including protocadherin 15, cadherin 23, lipoma HMGIC fusion partner-like 5, transmembrane inner ear, calcium and integrin-binding family member 2, and ankyrins. Based on these recent advances, we propose a unifying theory of hair cell MT that may reconcile most of the functional discoveries obtained to date. Finally, we discuss key questions that need to be addressed for a comprehensive understanding of hair cell MT at molecular and atomic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wang Zheng
- Departments of Otolaryngology and Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA;
| | - Jeffrey R Holt
- Departments of Otolaryngology and Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA;
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19
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Jabeen T, Holt JC, Becker JR, Nam JH. Interactions between Passive and Active Vibrations in the Organ of Corti In Vitro. Biophys J 2020; 119:314-325. [PMID: 32579963 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
High sensitivity and selectivity of hearing require an active cochlea. The cochlear sensory epithelium, the organ of Corti, vibrates because of external and internal excitations. The external stimulation is acoustic pressures mediated by the scala fluids, whereas the internal excitation is generated by a type of sensory receptor cells (the outer hair cells) in response to the acoustic vibrations. The outer hair cells are cellular actuators that are responsible for cochlear amplification. The organ of Corti is highly structured for transmitting vibrations originating from acoustic pressure and active outer hair cell force to the inner hair cells that synapse on afferent nerves. Understanding how the organ of Corti vibrates because of acoustic pressure and outer hair cell force is critical for explaining cochlear function. In this study, cochleae were freshly isolated from young gerbils. The organ of Corti in the excised cochlea was subjected to mechanical and electrical stimulation that are analogous to acoustic and cellular stimulation in the natural cochlea. Organ of Corti vibrations, including those of individual outer hair cells, were measured using optical coherence tomography. Respective vibration patterns due to mechanical and electrical stimulation were characterized. Interactions between the two vibration patterns were investigated by applying the two forms of stimulation simultaneously. Our results show that the interactions could be either constructive or destructive, which implies that the outer hair cells can either amplify or reduce vibrations in the organ of Corti. We discuss a potential consequence of the two interaction modes for cochlear frequency tuning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talat Jabeen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
| | - Joseph C Holt
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York; Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York; Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
| | - Jonathan R Becker
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
| | - Jong-Hoon Nam
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York; Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York; Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York.
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20
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Lee YR, Trung TQ, Hwang BU, Lee NE. A flexible artificial intrinsic-synaptic tactile sensory organ. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2753. [PMID: 32488078 PMCID: PMC7265430 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16606-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Imbuing bio-inspired sensory devices with intelligent functions of human sensory organs has been limited by challenges in emulating the preprocessing abilities of sensory organs such as reception, filtering, adaptation, and sensory memory at the device level itself. Merkel cells, which is a part of tactile sensory organs, form synapse-like connections with afferent neuron terminals referred to as Merkel cell-neurite complexes. Here, inspired by structure and intelligent functions of Merkel cell-neurite complexes, we report a flexible, artificial, intrinsic-synaptic tactile sensory organ that mimics synapse-like connections using an organic synaptic transistor with ferroelectric nanocomposite gate dielectric of barium titanate nanoparticles and poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene). Modulation of the post-synaptic current of the device induced by ferroelectric dipole switching due to triboelectric-capacitive coupling under finger touch allowed reception and slow adaptation. Modulation of synaptic weight by varying the nanocomposite composition of gate dielectric layer enabled tuning of filtering and sensory memory functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Rim Lee
- School of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyunggi-do, 16419, Korea
| | - Tran Quang Trung
- School of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyunggi-do, 16419, Korea
| | - Byeong-Ung Hwang
- School of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyunggi-do, 16419, Korea
| | - Nae-Eung Lee
- School of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyunggi-do, 16419, Korea.
- SKKU Advanced Institute of Nano Technology (SAINT), Sungkyunkwan University, 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyunggi-do, 16419, Korea.
- Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology (SAIHST), Sungkyunkwan University, 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyunggi-do, 16419, Korea.
- Institute of Quantum Biophysics (IQB), Sungkyunkwan University, 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyunggi-do, 16419, Korea.
- Biomedical Institute for Convergence at SKKU (BICS), Sungkyunkwan University, 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyunggi-do, 16419, Korea.
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21
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Perez-Flores MC, Lee JH, Park S, Zhang XD, Sihn CR, Ledford HA, Wang W, Kim HJ, Timofeyev V, Yarov-Yarovoy V, Chiamvimonvat N, Rabbitt RD, Yamoah EN. Cooperativity of K v7.4 channels confers ultrafast electromechanical sensitivity and emergent properties in cochlear outer hair cells. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaba1104. [PMID: 32285007 PMCID: PMC7141818 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba1104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The mammalian cochlea relies on active electromotility of outer hair cells (OHCs) to resolve sound frequencies. OHCs use ionic channels and somatic electromotility to achieve the process. It is unclear, though, how the kinetics of voltage-gated ionic channels operate to overcome extrinsic viscous drag on OHCs at high frequency. Here, we report ultrafast electromechanical gating of clustered Kv7.4 in OHCs. Increases in kinetics and sensitivity resulting from cooperativity among clustered-Kv7.4 were revealed, using optogenetics strategies. Upon clustering, the half-activation voltage shifted negative, and the speed of activation increased relative to solitary channels. Clustering also rendered Kv7.4 channels mechanically sensitive, confirmed in consolidated Kv7.4 channels at the base of OHCs. Kv7.4 clusters provide OHCs with ultrafast electromechanical channel gating, varying in magnitude and speed along the cochlea axis. Ultrafast Kv7.4 gating provides OHCs with a feedback mechanism that enables the cochlea to overcome viscous drag and resolve sounds at auditory frequencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria C. Perez-Flores
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Jeong H. Lee
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Seojin Park
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Xiao-Dong Zhang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Northern California Health Care System, Mather, CA 95655, USA
| | - Choong-Ryoul Sihn
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Hannah A. Ledford
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Wenying Wang
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Hyo Jeong Kim
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Valeriy Timofeyev
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Northern California Health Care System, Mather, CA 95655, USA
| | - Vladimir Yarov-Yarovoy
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Nipavan Chiamvimonvat
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Northern California Health Care System, Mather, CA 95655, USA
| | - Richard D. Rabbitt
- Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Otolaryngology, and Neuroscience Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
- Corresponding author. (E.N.Y.); (R.D.R.)
| | - Ebenezer N. Yamoah
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
- Corresponding author. (E.N.Y.); (R.D.R.)
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22
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Two-tone distortion in reticular lamina vibration of the living cochlea. Commun Biol 2020; 3:35. [PMID: 31965040 PMCID: PMC6972885 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-0762-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been demonstrated that isolated auditory sensory cells, outer hair cells, can generate distortion products at low frequencies. It remains unknown, however, whether or not motile outer hair cells are able to generate two-tone distortion at high frequencies in living cochleae under the mechanical loads caused by surounding tissues and fluids. By measuring sub-nanometer vibration directly from the apical ends of outer hair cells using a custom-built heterodyne low-coherence interferometer, here we show outer hair cell-generated two-tone distortion in reticular lamina motion in the living cochlea. Reticular-lamina distortion is significantly greater and occurs at a broader frequency range than that of the basilar membrane. Contrary to expectations, our results indicate that motile outer hair cells are capable of generating two-tone distortion in vivo not only at the locations tuned to primary tones but also at a broad region basal to these locations. Ren et al. used an in house heterodyne low-coherence interferometer to measure sub-nanometer vibrations, a proxy for distortion products, in living cochleae of gerbils. They were able to locate the generation source of the outer hair cell in the reticular lamina versus the basilar membrane in vivo.
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23
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Goldring AC, Beurg M, Fettiplace R. The contribution of TMC1 to adaptation of mechanoelectrical transduction channels in cochlear outer hair cells. J Physiol 2019; 597:5949-5961. [PMID: 31633194 PMCID: PMC6910908 DOI: 10.1113/jp278799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS Hair cell mechanoelectrical transducer channels are opened by deflections of the hair bundle about a resting position set by incompletely understood adaptation mechanisms. We used three characteristics to define adaptation in hair cell mutants of transmembrane channel-like proteins, TMC1 and TMC2, which are considered to be channel constituents. The results obtained demonstrate that the three characteristics are not equivalent, and raise doubts about simple models in which intracellular Ca2+ regulates adaptation. Adaptation is faster and more effective in TMC1-containing than in TMC2-containing transducer channels. This result ties adaptation to the channel complex, and suggests that TMC1 is a better isoform for use in cochlear hair cells. We describe a TMC1 point mutation, D569N, that reduces the resting open probability and Ca2+ permeability of the transducer channels, comprising properties that may contribute to the deafness phenotype. ABSTRACT Recordings of mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) currents in cochlear hair cells were made in mice with mutations of transmembrane channel-like (TMC) protein to examine the effects on fast transducer adaptation. Adaptation was faster and more complete in Tmc2-/- than in Tmc1-/- , although this disparity was not explained by differences in Ca2+ permeability or Ca2+ influx between the two isoforms, with TMC2 having the larger permeability. We made a mouse mutation, Tmc1 p.D569N, homologous to a human DFNA36 deafness mutation, which also had MET channels with lower Ca2+ -permeability but showed better fast adaptation than wild-type Tmc1+/+ channels. Consistent with the more effective adaptation in Tmc1 p.D569N, the resting probability of MET channel opening was smaller. The three TMC variants studied have comparable single-channel conductances, although the lack of correlation between channel Ca2+ permeability and adaptation opposes the hypothesis that adaptation is controlled simply by Ca2+ influx through the channels. During the first postnatal week of mouse development, the MET currents amplitude grew, and transducer adaptation became faster and more effective. We attribute changes in adaptation partly to a developmental switch from TMC2- to TMC1- containing channels and partly to an increase in channel expression. More complete and faster adaptation, coupled with larger MET currents, may account for the sole use of TMC1 in the adult cochlear hair cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam C Goldring
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Maryline Beurg
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Robert Fettiplace
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
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24
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Hair Bundle Stimulation Mode Modifies Manifestations of Mechanotransduction Adaptation. J Neurosci 2019; 39:9098-9106. [PMID: 31578232 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1408-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Revised: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sound detection in auditory sensory hair cells depends on the deflection of the stereocilia hair bundle which opens mechano-electric transduction (MET) channels. Adaptation is hypothesized to be a critical property of MET that contributes to the auditory system's wide dynamic range and sharp frequency selectivity. Our recent work using a stiff probe to displace hair bundles showed that the fastest adaptation mechanism (fast adaptation) does not require calcium entry. Using fluid-jet stimuli, others obtained data showing only a calcium-dependent fast adaptation response. Because cochlear stereocilia do not move coherently and the hair cell response depends critically on the magnitude and time course of the hair bundle deflection, we developed a high-speed imaging technique to quantify this deflection in rat cochlear hair cells. The fluid jet delivers a force stimulus, and force steps lead to a complex time course of hair bundle displacement (mechanical creep), which affects the hair cell's macroscopic MET current response by masking the time course of the fast adaptation response. Modifying the fluid-jet stimulus to generate a hair bundle displacement step produced rapidly adapting currents that did not depend on membrane potential, confirming that fast adaptation does not depend on calcium entry. MET current responses differ with stimulus modality and will shape receptor potentials of different hair cell types based on their in vivo stimulus mode. These transformations will directly affect how stimuli are encoded.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Mechanotransduction by sensory hair cells represents a key first step for the sound sensing ability in vertebrates. The sharp frequency tuning and wide dynamic range of sound sensation are hypothesized to require a mechanotransduction adaptation mechanism. Recent work indicated that the apparent calcium dependence of the fastest adaptation differs with the method of cochlear hair cell stimulation. Here, we reconcile existing data and show that calcium entry does not drive the fastest adaptation process, independent of the stimulation method. With force stimulation of the hair bundle, adaptation manifests differently than with displacement stimulation, indicating that the stimulation mode of the hair bundle will affect the hair cell receptor current and stimulus coding.
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25
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Abstract
The spatial variations of the intricate cytoarchitecture, fluid scalae, and mechano-electric transduction in the mammalian cochlea have long been postulated to provide the organ with the ability to perform a real-time, time-frequency processing of sound. However, the precise manner by which this tripartite coupling enables the exquisite cochlear filtering has yet to be articulated in a base-to-apex mathematical model. Moreover, while sound-evoked tuning curves derived from mechanical gains are excellent surrogates for auditory nerve fiber thresholds at the base of the cochlea, this correlation fails at the apex. The key factors influencing the divergence of both mechanical and neural tuning at the apex, as well as the spatial variation of mechanical tuning, are incompletely understood. We develop a model that shows that the mechanical effects arising from the combination of the taper of the cochlear scalae and the spatial variation of the cytoarchitecture of the cochlea provide robust mechanisms that modulate the outer hair cell-mediated active response and provide the basis for the transition of the mechanical gain spectra along the cochlear spiral. Further, the model predicts that the neural tuning at the base is primarily governed by the mechanical filtering of the cochlear partition. At the apex, microscale fluid dynamics and nanoscale channel dynamics must also be invoked to describe the threshold neural tuning for low frequencies. Overall, the model delineates a physiological basis for the difference between basal and apical gain seen in experiments and provides a coherent description of high- and low-frequency cochlear tuning.
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26
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Hong H, Dooley KE, Starbird LE, Francis HW, Farley JE. Adverse outcome pathway for aminoglycoside ototoxicity in drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment. Arch Toxicol 2019; 93:1385-1399. [PMID: 30963202 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-019-02407-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Individuals treated for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) with aminoglycosides (AGs) in resource-limited settings often experience permanent hearing loss. However, AG ototoxicity has never been conceptually integrated or causally linked to MDR-TB patients' pre-treatment health condition. We sought to develop a framework that examines the relationships between pre-treatment conditions and AG-induced hearing loss among MDR-TB-infected individuals in sub-Saharan Africa. The adverse outcome pathway (AOP) approach was used to develop a framework linking key events (KEs) within a biological pathway that results in adverse outcomes (AO), which are associated with chemical perturbation of a molecular initiating event (MIE). This AOP describes pathways initiating from AG accumulation in hair cells, sound transducers of the inner ear immediately after AG administration. After administration, the drug catalyzes cellular oxidative stress due to overproduction of reactive oxygen species. Since oxidative stress inhibits mitochondrial protein synthesis, hair cells undergo apoptotic cell death, resulting in irreversible hearing loss (AO). We identified the following pre-treatment conditions that worsen the causal linkage between MIE and AO: HIV, malnutrition, aging, noise, smoking, and alcohol use. The KEs are: (1) nephrotoxicity, pre-existing hearing loss, and hypoalbuminemia that catalyzes AG accumulation; (2) immunodeficiency and antioxidant deficiency that trigger oxidative stress pathways; and (3) co-administration of mitochondrial toxic drugs that hinder mitochondrial protein synthesis, causing apoptosis. This AOP clearly warrants the development of personalized interventions for patients undergoing MDR-TB treatment. Such interventions (i.e., choosing less ototoxic drugs, scheduling frequent monitoring, modifying nutritional status, avoiding poly-pharmacy) will be required to limit the burden of AG ototoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyejeong Hong
- Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, 525 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. .,Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, The REACH Initiative, 855 N. Wolfe Street, 21205, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Kelly E Dooley
- Divisions of Clinical Pharmacology and Infectious Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, 21205, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Laura E Starbird
- Center for Health Policy, Columbia University School of Nursing, 560 W 168 St, 10032, New York, NY, USA
| | - Howard W Francis
- Division of Head and Neck Surgery and Communication Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, 40 Duke Medicine Circle, 27710, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jason E Farley
- Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, 525 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.,Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, The REACH Initiative, 855 N. Wolfe Street, 21205, Baltimore, MD, USA
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27
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Tobin M, Chaiyasitdhi A, Michel V, Michalski N, Martin P. Stiffness and tension gradients of the hair cell's tip-link complex in the mammalian cochlea. eLife 2019; 8:e43473. [PMID: 30932811 PMCID: PMC6464607 DOI: 10.7554/elife.43473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Sound analysis by the cochlea relies on frequency tuning of mechanosensory hair cells along a tonotopic axis. To clarify the underlying biophysical mechanism, we have investigated the micromechanical properties of the hair cell's mechanoreceptive hair bundle within the apical half of the rat cochlea. We studied both inner and outer hair cells, which send nervous signals to the brain and amplify cochlear vibrations, respectively. We find that tonotopy is associated with gradients of stiffness and resting mechanical tension, with steeper gradients for outer hair cells, emphasizing the division of labor between the two hair-cell types. We demonstrate that tension in the tip links that convey force to the mechano-electrical transduction channels increases at reduced Ca2+. Finally, we reveal gradients in stiffness and tension at the level of a single tip link. We conclude that mechanical gradients of the tip-link complex may help specify the characteristic frequency of the hair cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélanie Tobin
- Laboratoire Physico-Chimie CurieInstitut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR168ParisFrance
- Sorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
| | - Atitheb Chaiyasitdhi
- Laboratoire Physico-Chimie CurieInstitut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR168ParisFrance
- Sorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
| | - Vincent Michel
- Sorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
- Laboratoire de Génétique et Physiologie de l’AuditionInstitut PasteurParisFrance
- UMRS 1120, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)ParisFrance
| | - Nicolas Michalski
- Sorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
- Laboratoire de Génétique et Physiologie de l’AuditionInstitut PasteurParisFrance
- UMRS 1120, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)ParisFrance
| | - Pascal Martin
- Laboratoire Physico-Chimie CurieInstitut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR168ParisFrance
- Sorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
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28
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Probing hair cell's mechano-transduction using two-tone suppression measurements. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4626. [PMID: 30874606 PMCID: PMC6420497 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41112-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
When two sound tones are delivered to the cochlea simultaneously, they interact with each other in a suppressive way, a phenomenon referred to as two-tone suppression (2TS). This nonlinear response is ascribed to the saturation of the outer hair cell’s mechano-transduction. Thus, 2TS can be used as a non-invasive probe to investigate the fundamental properties of cochlear mechano-transduction. We developed a nonlinear cochlear model in the time domain to interpret 2TS data. The multi-scale model incorporates cochlear fluid dynamics, organ of Corti (OoC) mechanics and outer hair cell electrophysiology. The model simulations of 2TS show that the threshold amplitudes and rates of low-side suppression are dependent on mechano-transduction properties. By comparing model responses to existing 2TS measurement data, we estimate intrinsic characteristics of mechano-transduction such as sensitivity and adaptation. For mechano-transduction sensitivity at the basal location (characteristic frequency of 17 kHz) at 0.06 nm−1, the simulation results agree with 2TS measurements of basilar membrane responses. This estimate is an order of magnitude higher than the values observed in experiments on isolated outer hair cells. The model also demonstrates how the outer hair cell’s adaptation alters the temporal pattern of 2TS by modulating mechano-electrical gain and phase.
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29
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Ó Maoiléidigh D, Ricci AJ. A Bundle of Mechanisms: Inner-Ear Hair-Cell Mechanotransduction. Trends Neurosci 2019; 42:221-236. [PMID: 30661717 PMCID: PMC6402798 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2018.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Revised: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
In the inner ear, the deflection of hair bundles, the sensory organelles of hair cells, activates mechanically-gated channels (MGCs). Hair bundles monitor orientation of the head, its angular and linear acceleration, and detect sound. Force applied to MGCs is shaped by intrinsic hair-bundle properties, by the mechanical load on the bundle, and by the filter imparted by the environment of the hair bundle. Channel gating and adaptation, the ability of the bundle to reset its operating point, contribute to hair-bundle mechanics. Recent data from mammalian hair cells challenge longstanding hypotheses regarding adaptation mechanisms and hair-bundle coherence. Variations between hair bundles from different organs in hair-bundle mechanics, mechanical load, channel gating, and adaptation may allow a hair bundle to selectively respond to specific sensory stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dáibhid Ó Maoiléidigh
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA 94305, USA
| | - Anthony J Ricci
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA 94305, USA.
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30
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Rabbitt RD. Semicircular canal biomechanics in health and disease. J Neurophysiol 2019; 121:732-755. [PMID: 30565972 PMCID: PMC6520623 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00708.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Revised: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The semicircular canals are responsible for sensing angular head motion in three-dimensional space and for providing neural inputs to the central nervous system (CNS) essential for agile mobility, stable vision, and autonomic control of the cardiovascular and other gravity-sensitive systems. Sensation relies on fluid mechanics within the labyrinth to selectively convert angular head acceleration into sensory hair bundle displacements in each of three inner ear sensory organs. Canal afferent neurons encode the direction and time course of head movements over a broad range of movement frequencies and amplitudes. Disorders altering canal mechanics result in pathological inputs to the CNS, often leading to debilitating symptoms. Vestibular disorders and conditions with mechanical substrates include benign paroxysmal positional nystagmus, direction-changing positional nystagmus, alcohol positional nystagmus, caloric nystagmus, Tullio phenomena, and others. Here, the mechanics of angular motion transduction and how it contributes to neural encoding by the semicircular canals is reviewed in both health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. D. Rabbitt
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Otolaryngology-Head Neck Surgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Neuroscience Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
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31
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Barral J, Jülicher F, Martin P. Friction from Transduction Channels' Gating Affects Spontaneous Hair-Bundle Oscillations. Biophys J 2019; 114:425-436. [PMID: 29401440 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2017] [Revised: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hair cells of the inner ear can power spontaneous oscillations of their mechanosensory hair bundle, resulting in amplification of weak inputs near the characteristic frequency of oscillation. Recently, dynamic force measurements have revealed that delayed gating of the mechanosensitive ion channels responsible for mechanoelectrical transduction produces a friction force on the hair bundle. The significance of this intrinsic source of dissipation for the dynamical process underlying active hair-bundle motility has remained elusive. The aim of this work is to determine the role of friction in spontaneous hair-bundle oscillations. To this end, we characterized key oscillation properties over a large ensemble of individual hair cells and measured how viscosity of the endolymph that bathes the hair bundles affects these properties. We found that hair-bundle movements were too slow to be impeded by viscous drag only. Moreover, the oscillation frequency was only marginally affected by increasing endolymph viscosity by up to 30-fold. Stochastic simulations could capture the observed behaviors by adding a contribution to friction that was 3-8-fold larger than viscous drag. The extra friction could be attributed to delayed changes in tip-link tension as the result of the finite activation kinetics of the transduction channels. We exploited our analysis of hair-bundle dynamics to infer the channel activation time, which was ∼1 ms. This timescale was two orders-of-magnitude shorter than the oscillation period. However, because the channel activation time was significantly longer than the timescale of mechanical relaxation of the hair bundle, channel kinetics affected hair-bundle dynamics. Our results suggest that friction from channel gating affects the waveform of oscillation and that the channel activation time can tune the characteristic frequency of the hair cell. We conclude that the kinetics of transduction channels' gating plays a fundamental role in the dynamic process that shapes spontaneous hair-bundle oscillations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérémie Barral
- Laboratoire Physico-Chimie Curie, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR168, Paris, France; UPMC Université Paris 06, Sorbonne Universités, Paris, France
| | - Frank Jülicher
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden, Germany; Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California
| | - Pascal Martin
- Laboratoire Physico-Chimie Curie, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR168, Paris, France; UPMC Université Paris 06, Sorbonne Universités, Paris, France; Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California.
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32
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The Competition between the Noise and Shear Motion Sensitivity of Cochlear Inner Hair Cell Stereocilia. Biophys J 2019; 114:474-483. [PMID: 29401444 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.11.3746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Revised: 10/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Acoustical excitation of the organ of Corti induces radial fluid flow in the subtectorial space (STS) that excites the hair bundles (HBs) of the sensory inner hair cell of the mammalian cochlea. The inner hair cell HBs are bathed in endolymphatic fluid filling a thin gap in the STS between the tectorial membrane and the reticular lamina. According to the fluctuation dissipation theorem, the fluid viscosity gives rise to mechanical fluctuations that are transduced into current noise. Conversely, the stochastic fluctuations of the mechanically gated channels of the HBs also induce dissipation. We develop an analytic model of the STS complex in a cross section of the gerbil organ of Corti. We predict that the dominant noise at the apex is due to the channel stochasticity whereas viscous effects dominate at the base. The net root mean square fluctuation of the HB motion is estimated to be at least 1.18 nm at the base and 2.72 nm at the apex. By varying the HB height for a fixed STS gap, we find that taller HBs are better sensors with lower thresholds. An integrated active HB model is shown to reduce the hydrodynamic resistance through a cycle-by-cycle power addition through adaptation, reducing the thresholds of hearing, hinting at one potential role for HB activity in mammalian hearing. We determine that a Couette flow approximation in the STS underestimates the dissipation and that modeling the entire STS complex is necessary to correctly predict the low-frequency dissipation in the cochlea. Finally, the difference in the noise budget at the base and the apex of the cochlea indicate that a sensing modality other than the shear motion of the TM that may be used to achieve low-noise acoustic sensing at the apex.
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33
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Amplification and Suppression of Traveling Waves along the Mouse Organ of Corti: Evidence for Spatial Variation in the Longitudinal Coupling of Outer Hair Cell-Generated Forces. J Neurosci 2019; 39:1805-1816. [PMID: 30651330 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2608-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Revised: 01/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian hearing sensitivity and frequency selectivity depend on a mechanical amplification process mediated by outer hair cells (OHCs). OHCs are situated within the organ of Corti atop the basilar membrane (BM), which supports sound-evoked traveling waves. It is well established that OHCs generate force to selectively amplify BM traveling waves where they peak, and that amplification accumulates from one location to the next over this narrow cochlear region. However, recent measurements demonstrate that traveling waves along the apical surface of the organ of Corti, the reticular lamina (RL), are amplified over a much broader region. Whether OHC forces accumulate along the length of the RL traveling wave to provide a form of "global" cochlear amplification is unclear. Here we examined the spatial accumulation of RL amplification. In mice of either sex, we used tones to suppress amplification from different cochlear regions and examined the effect on RL vibrations near and far from the traveling-wave peak. We found that although OHC forces amplify the entire RL traveling wave, amplification only accumulates near the peak, over the same region where BM motion is amplified. This contradicts the notion that RL motion is involved in a global amplification mechanism and reveals that the mechanical properties of the BM and organ of Corti tune how OHC forces accumulate spatially. Restricting the spatial buildup of amplification enhances frequency selectivity by sharpening the peaks of cochlear traveling waves and constrains the number of OHCs responsible for mechanical sensitivity at each location.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Outer hair cells generate force to amplify traveling waves within the mammalian cochlea. This force generation is critical to the ability to detect and discriminate sounds. Nevertheless, how these forces couple to the motions of the surrounding structures and integrate along the cochlear length remains poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that outer hair cell-generated forces amplify traveling-wave motion on the organ of Corti throughout the wave's extent, but that these forces only accumulate longitudinally over a region near the wave's peak. The longitudinal coupling of outer hair cell-generated forces is therefore spatially tuned, likely by the mechanical properties of the basilar membrane and organ of Corti. Our findings provide new insight into the mechanical processes that underlie sensitive hearing.
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34
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Dong W, Xia A, Raphael PD, Puria S, Applegate B, Oghalai JS. Organ of Corti vibration within the intact gerbil cochlea measured by volumetric optical coherence tomography and vibrometry. J Neurophysiol 2018; 120:2847-2857. [PMID: 30281386 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00702.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
There is indirect evidence that the mammalian cochlea in the low-frequency apical and the more commonly studied high-frequency basal regions function in fundamentally different ways. Here, we directly tested this hypothesis by measuring sound-induced vibrations of the organ of Corti (OoC) at three turns of the gerbil cochlea using volumetric optical coherence tomography vibrometry (VOCTV), an approach that permits noninvasive imaging through the bone. In the apical turn, there was little frequency selectivity, and the displacement-vs.-frequency curves had low-pass filter characteristics with a corner frequency of ~0.5-0.9 kHz. The vibratory magnitudes increased compressively with increasing stimulus intensity at all frequencies. In the middle turn, responses were similar except for a slight peak in the response at ~2.5 kHz. The gain was ~50 dB at the peak and 30-40 dB at lower frequencies. In the basal turn, responses were sharply tuned and compressively nonlinear, consistent with observations in the literature. These data demonstrated that there is a transition of the mechanical response of the OoC along the length of the cochlea such that frequency tuning is sharper in the base than in the apex. Because the responses are fundamentally different, it is not appropriate to simply frequency shift vibratory data measured at one cochlear location to predict the cochlear responses at other locations. Furthermore, this means that the number of hair cells stimulated by sound is larger for low-frequency stimuli and smaller for high-frequency stimuli for the same intensity level. Thus the mechanisms of central processing of sounds must vary with frequency. NEW & NOTEWORTHY A volumetric optical coherence tomography and vibrometry system was used to probe cochlear mechanics within the intact gerbil cochlea. We found a gradual transition of the mechanical response of the organ of Corti along the length of the cochlea such that tuning at the base is dramatically sharper than that at the apex. These data help to explain discrepancies in the literature regarding how the cochlea processes low-frequency sounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Dong
- VA Loma Linda Healthcare System, Loma Linda, California.,Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Loma Linda University Health , Loma Linda, California
| | - Anping Xia
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University , Stanford, California
| | - Patrick D Raphael
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University , Stanford, California
| | - Sunil Puria
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Brian Applegate
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University , College Station, Texas
| | - John S Oghalai
- Caruso Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California
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35
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Robertson SN, Campsie P, Childs PG, Madsen F, Donnelly H, Henriquez FL, Mackay WG, Salmerón-Sánchez M, Tsimbouri MP, Williams C, Dalby MJ, Reid S. Control of cell behaviour through nanovibrational stimulation: nanokicking. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2018; 376:20170290. [PMID: 29661978 PMCID: PMC5915650 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2017.0290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Mechanical signals are ubiquitous in our everyday life and the process of converting these mechanical signals into a biological signalling response is known as mechanotransduction. Our understanding of mechanotransduction, and its contribution to vital cellular responses, is a rapidly expanding field of research involving complex processes that are still not clearly understood. The use of mechanical vibration as a stimulus of mechanotransduction, including variation of frequency and amplitude, allows an alternative method to control specific cell behaviour without chemical stimulation (e.g. growth factors). Chemical-independent control of cell behaviour could be highly advantageous for fields including drug discovery and clinical tissue engineering. In this review, a novel technique is described based on nanoscale sinusoidal vibration. Using finite-element analysis in conjunction with laser interferometry, techniques that are used within the field of gravitational wave detection, optimization of apparatus design and calibration of vibration application have been performed. We further discuss the application of nanovibrational stimulation, or 'nanokicking', to eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells including the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells towards an osteoblast cell lineage. Mechanotransductive mechanisms are discussed including mediation through the Rho-A kinase signalling pathway. Optimization of this technique was first performed in two-dimensional culture using a simple vibration platform with an optimal frequency and amplitude of 1 kHz and 22 nm. A novel bioreactor was developed to scale up cell production, with recent research demonstrating that mesenchymal stem cell differentiation can be efficiently triggered in soft gel constructs. This important step provides first evidence that clinically relevant (three-dimensional) volumes of osteoblasts can be produced for the purpose of bone grafting, without complex scaffolds and/or chemical induction. Initial findings have shown that nanovibrational stimulation can also reduce biofilm formation in a number of clinically relevant bacteria. This demonstrates additional utility of the bioreactor to investigate mechanotransduction in other fields of research.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The promises of gravitational-wave astronomy'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun N Robertson
- SUPA, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Graham Hills, 50 George Street, Glasgow G1 1QE, UK
| | - Paul Campsie
- SUPA, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Graham Hills, 50 George Street, Glasgow G1 1QE, UK
| | - Peter G Childs
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Fiona Madsen
- Institute of Healthcare, Policy and Practice, School of Health, Nursing and Midwifery, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley PA1 2BE, UK
| | - Hannah Donnelly
- Centre for Cell Engineering, Institute for Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Fiona L Henriquez
- Institute of Biomedical and Environmental Health Research, School of Science and Sport, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley PA1 2BE, UK
| | - William G Mackay
- Institute of Healthcare, Policy and Practice, School of Health, Nursing and Midwifery, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley PA1 2BE, UK
| | - Manuel Salmerón-Sánchez
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Monica P Tsimbouri
- Centre for Cell Engineering, Institute for Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Craig Williams
- Institute of Healthcare, Policy and Practice, School of Health, Nursing and Midwifery, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley PA1 2BE, UK
| | - Matthew J Dalby
- Centre for Cell Engineering, Institute for Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Stuart Reid
- SUPA, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Graham Hills, 50 George Street, Glasgow G1 1QE, UK
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36
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Qiu X, Müller U. Mechanically Gated Ion Channels in Mammalian Hair Cells. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:100. [PMID: 29755320 PMCID: PMC5932396 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Hair cells in the inner ear convert mechanical stimuli provided by sound waves and head movements into electrical signal. Several mechanically evoked ionic currents with different properties have been recorded in hair cells. The search for the proteins that form the underlying ion channels is still in progress. The mechanoelectrical transduction (MET) channel near the tips of stereociliary in hair cells, which is responsible for sensory transduction, has been studied most extensively. Several components of the sensory mechanotransduction machinery in stereocilia have been identified, including the multi-transmembrane proteins tetraspan membrane protein in hair cell stereocilia (TMHS)/LHFPL5, transmembrane inner ear (TMIE) and transmembrane channel-like proteins 1 and 2 (TMC1/2). However, there remains considerable uncertainty regarding the molecules that form the channel pore. In addition to the sensory MET channel, hair cells express the mechanically gated ion channel PIEZO2, which is localized near the base of stereocilia and not essential for sensory transduction. The function of PIEZO2 in hair cells is not entirely clear but it might have a role in damage sensing and repair processes. Additional stretch-activated channels of unknown molecular identity and function have been found to localize at the basolateral membrane of hair cells. Here, we review current knowledge regarding the different mechanically gated ion channels in hair cells and discuss open questions concerning their molecular composition and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xufeng Qiu
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Ulrich Müller
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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37
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Phosphoinositol-4,5-Bisphosphate Regulates Auditory Hair-Cell Mechanotransduction-Channel Pore Properties and Fast Adaptation. J Neurosci 2017; 37:11632-11646. [PMID: 29066559 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1351-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Revised: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Membrane proteins, such as ion channels, interact dynamically with their lipid environment. Phosphoinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) can directly or indirectly modify ion-channel properties. In auditory sensory hair cells of rats (Sprague Dawley) of either sex, PIP2 localizes within stereocilia, near stereocilia tips. Modulating the amount of free PIP2 in inner hair-cell stereocilia resulted in the following: (1) the loss of a fast component of mechanoelectric-transduction current adaptation, (2) an increase in the number of channels open at the hair bundle's resting position, (3) a reduction of single-channel conductance, (4) a change in ion selectivity, and (5) a reduction in calcium pore blocking effects. These changes occur without altering hair-bundle compliance or the number of functional stereocilia within a given hair bundle. Although the specific molecular mechanism for PIP2 action remains to be uncovered, data support a hypothesis for PIP2 directly regulating channel conformation to alter calcium permeation and single-channel conductance.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT How forces are relayed to the auditory mechanoelectrical transduction (MET) channel remains unknown. However, researchers have surmised that lipids might be involved. Previous work on bullfrog hair cells showed an effect of phosphoinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) depletion on MET current amplitude and adaptation, leading to the postulation of the existence of an underlying myosin-based adaptation mechanism. We find similar results in rat cochlea hair cells but extend these data to include single-channel analysis, hair-bundle mechanics, and channel-permeation properties. These additional data attribute PIP2 effects to actions on MET-channel properties and not motor interactions. Further findings support PIP2's role in modulating a fast, myosin-independent, and Ca2+-independent adaptation process, validating fast adaptation's biological origin. Together this shows PIP2's pivotal role in auditory MET, likely as a direct channel modulator.
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38
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Altered auditory and vestibular functioning in individuals with low bone mineral density: a systematic review. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2017; 275:1-10. [DOI: 10.1007/s00405-017-4768-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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39
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Fettiplace R. Hair Cell Transduction, Tuning, and Synaptic Transmission in the Mammalian Cochlea. Compr Physiol 2017; 7:1197-1227. [PMID: 28915323 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c160049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 189] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Sound pressure fluctuations striking the ear are conveyed to the cochlea, where they vibrate the basilar membrane on which sit hair cells, the mechanoreceptors of the inner ear. Recordings of hair cell electrical responses have shown that they transduce sound via submicrometer deflections of their hair bundles, which are arrays of interconnected stereocilia containing the mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channels. MET channels are activated by tension in extracellular tip links bridging adjacent stereocilia, and they can respond within microseconds to nanometer displacements of the bundle, facilitated by multiple processes of Ca2+-dependent adaptation. Studies of mouse mutants have produced much detail about the molecular organization of the stereocilia, the tip links and their attachment sites, and the MET channels localized to the lower end of each tip link. The mammalian cochlea contains two categories of hair cells. Inner hair cells relay acoustic information via multiple ribbon synapses that transmit rapidly without rundown. Outer hair cells are important for amplifying sound-evoked vibrations. The amplification mechanism primarily involves contractions of the outer hair cells, which are driven by changes in membrane potential and mediated by prestin, a motor protein in the outer hair cell lateral membrane. Different sound frequencies are separated along the cochlea, with each hair cell being tuned to a narrow frequency range; amplification sharpens the frequency resolution and augments sensitivity 100-fold around the cell's characteristic frequency. Genetic mutations and environmental factors such as acoustic overstimulation cause hearing loss through irreversible damage to the hair cells or degeneration of inner hair cell synapses. © 2017 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:1197-1227, 2017.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Fettiplace
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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40
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Corey DP, Ó Maoiléidigh D, Ashmore JF. Mechanical Transduction Processes in the Hair Cell. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-52073-5_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
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Two-Dimensional Cochlear Micromechanics Measured In Vivo Demonstrate Radial Tuning within the Mouse Organ of Corti. J Neurosci 2017; 36:8160-73. [PMID: 27488636 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1157-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The exquisite sensitivity and frequency discrimination of mammalian hearing underlie the ability to understand complex speech in noise. This requires force generation by cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs) to amplify the basilar membrane traveling wave; however, it is unclear how amplification is achieved with sharp frequency tuning. Here we investigated the origin of tuning by measuring sound-induced 2-D vibrations within the mouse organ of Corti in vivo Our goal was to determine the transfer function relating the radial shear between the structures that deflect the OHC bundle, the tectorial membrane and reticular lamina, to the transverse motion of the basilar membrane. We found that, after normalizing their responses to the vibration of the basilar membrane, the radial vibrations of the tectorial membrane and reticular lamina were tuned. The radial tuning peaked at a higher frequency than transverse basilar membrane tuning in the passive, postmortem condition. The radial tuning was similar in dead mice, indicating that this reflected passive, not active, mechanics. These findings were exaggerated in Tecta(C1509G/C1509G) mice, where the tectorial membrane is detached from OHC stereocilia, arguing that the tuning of radial vibrations within the hair cell epithelium is distinct from tectorial membrane tuning. Together, these results reveal a passive, frequency-dependent contribution to cochlear filtering that is independent of basilar membrane filtering. These data argue that passive mechanics within the organ of Corti sharpen frequency selectivity by defining which OHCs enhance the vibration of the basilar membrane, thereby tuning the gain of cochlear amplification. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Outer hair cells amplify the traveling wave within the mammalian cochlea. The resultant gain and frequency sharpening are necessary for speech discrimination, particularly in the presence of background noise. Here we measured the 2-D motion of the organ of Corti in mice and found that the structures that stimulate the outer hair cell stereocilia, the tectorial membrane and reticular lamina, were sharply tuned in the radial direction. Radial tuning was similar in dead mice and in mice lacking a tectorial membrane. This suggests that radial tuning comes from passive mechanics within the hair cell epithelium, and that these mechanics, at least in part, may tune the gain of cochlear amplification.
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Fettiplace R. Is TMC1 the Hair Cell Mechanotransducer Channel? Biophys J 2017; 111:3-9. [PMID: 27410728 PMCID: PMC4945579 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2016.05.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2016] [Revised: 05/06/2016] [Accepted: 05/19/2016] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Transmembrane channel-like protein isoform-1 (TMC1) has emerged over the past five years as a prime contender for the mechano-electrical transducer (MET) channel in hair cells of the inner ear. TMC1 is thought to have a six-transmembrane domain structure reminiscent of some other ion-channel subunits, and is targeted to the tips of the stereocilia in the sensory hair bundle, where the MET channel is located. Moreover, there are TMC1 mutations linked to human deafness causing loss of conventional MET currents, hair cell degeneration, and deafness in mice. Finally, mutations of Tmc1 can alter the conductance and Ca(2+) selectivity of the MET channels. For several reasons though, it is unclear that TMC1 is indeed the MET channel pore: 1) in other animals or tissues, mutations of TMC family members do not directly affect cellular mechanosensitivity; 2) there are residual manifestations of mechanosensitivity in hair cells of mouse Tmc1:Tmc2 double knockouts; 3) there is so far no evidence that expression of mammalian Tmc1 generates a mechanically sensitive ion channel in the plasma membrane when expressed in heterologous cells; and 4) there are other proteins, such as TMIE and LHFPL5, which behave similarly to TMC1, their mutation also leading to loss of MET current and deafness. This review will present these disparate lines of evidence and describes recent work that addresses the role of TMC1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Fettiplace
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin.
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Altoè A, Pulkki V, Verhulst S. Model-based estimation of the frequency tuning of the inner-hair-cell stereocilia from neural tuning curves. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 141:4438. [PMID: 28679269 DOI: 10.1121/1.4985193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This study proposes that the frequency tuning of the inner-hair-cell (IHC) stereocilia in the intact organ of Corti can be derived from the responses of the auditory fibers (AFs) using computational tools. The frequency-dependent relationship between the AF threshold and the amplitude of the stereocilia vibration is estimated using a model of the IHC-mediated mechanical to neural transduction. Depending on the response properties of the considered AF, the amplitude of stereocilia deflection required to drive the simulated AF above threshold is 1.4 to 9.2 dB smaller at low frequencies (≤500 Hz) than at high frequencies (≥4 kHz). The estimated frequency-dependent relationship between ciliary deflection and neural threshold is employed to derive constant-stereocilia-deflection contours from previously published AF recordings from the chinchilla cochlea. This analysis shows that the transduction process partially accounts for the observed differences between the tuning of the basilar membrane and that of the AFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Altoè
- Department of Signal Processing and Acoustics, School of Electrical Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 13000, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
| | - Ville Pulkki
- Department of Signal Processing and Acoustics, School of Electrical Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 13000, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
| | - Sarah Verhulst
- Department of Information Technology, Ghent University, Technologiepark 15, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium
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Recio-Spinoso A, Oghalai JS. Mechanical tuning and amplification within the apex of the guinea pig cochlea. J Physiol 2017; 595:4549-4561. [PMID: 28382742 DOI: 10.1113/jp273881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Accepted: 03/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS A popular conception of mammalian cochlear physiology is that tuned mechanical vibration of the basilar membrane defines the frequency response of the innervating auditory nerve fibres However, the data supporting these concepts come from vibratory measurements at cochlear locations tuned to high frequencies (>7 kHz). Here, we measured the travelling wave in regions of the guinea pig cochlea that respond to low frequencies (<2 kHz) and found that mechanical tuning was broad and did not match auditory nerve tuning characteristics. Non-linear amplification of the travelling wave functioned over a broad frequency range and did not substantially sharpen frequency tuning. Thus, the neural encoding of low-frequency sounds, which includes most of the information conveyed by human speech, is not principally determined by basilar membrane mechanics. ABSTRACT The popular notion of mammalian cochlear function is that auditory nerves are tuned to respond best to different sound frequencies because basilar membrane vibration is mechanically tuned to different frequencies along its length. However, this concept has only been demonstrated in regions of the cochlea tuned to frequencies >7 kHz, not in regions sensitive to lower frequencies where human speech is encoded. Here, we overcame historical technical limitations and non-invasively measured sound-induced vibrations at four locations distributed over the apical two turns of the guinea pig cochlea. In turn 3, the responses demonstrated low-pass filter characteristics. In turn 2, the responses were low-pass-like, in that they occasionally did have a slight peak near the corner frequency. The corner frequencies of the responses were tonotopically tuned and ranged from 384 to 668 Hz. Non-linear gain, or amplification of the vibrations in response to low-intensity stimuli, was found both below and above the corner frequencies. Post mortem, cochlear gain disappeared. The non-linear gain was typically 10-30 dB and was broad-band rather than sharply tuned. However, the gain did reach nearly 50 dB in turn 2 for higher stimulus frequencies, nearly the amount of gain found in basal cochlear regions. Thus, our data prove that mechanical responses do not match neural responses and that cochlear amplification does not appreciably sharpen frequency tuning for cochlear regions that respond to frequencies <2 kHz. These data indicate that the non-linear processing of sound performed by the guinea pig cochlea varies substantially between the cochlear apex and base.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Recio-Spinoso
- Instituto de Investigación en Discapacidades Neurológicas, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| | - John S Oghalai
- Deparment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
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Adaptation Independent Modulation of Auditory Hair Cell Mechanotransduction Channel Open Probability Implicates a Role for the Lipid Bilayer. J Neurosci 2016; 36:2945-56. [PMID: 26961949 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3011-15.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The auditory system is able to detect movement down to atomic dimensions. This sensitivity comes in part from mechanisms associated with gating of hair cell mechanoelectric transduction (MET) channels. MET channels, located at the tops of stereocilia, are poised to detect tension induced by hair bundle deflection. Hair bundle deflection generates a force by pulling on tip-link proteins connecting adjacent stereocilia. The resting open probability (P(open)) of MET channels determines the linearity and sensitivity to mechanical stimulation. Classically, P(open) is regulated by a calcium-sensitive adaptation mechanism in which lowering extracellular calcium or depolarization increases P(open). Recent data demonstrated that the fast component of adaptation is independent of both calcium and voltage, thus requiring an alternative explanation for the sensitivity of P(open) to calcium and voltage. Using rat auditory hair cells, we characterize a mechanism, separate from fast adaptation, whereby divalent ions interacting with the local lipid environment modulate resting P(open). The specificity of this effect for different divalent ions suggests binding sites that are not an EF-hand or calmodulin model. GsMTx4, a lipid-mediated modifier of cationic stretch-activated channels, eliminated the voltage and divalent sensitivity with minimal effects on adaptation. We hypothesize that the dual mechanisms (lipid modulation and adaptation) extend the dynamic range of the system while maintaining adaptation kinetics at their maximal rates.
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Abstract
Hair cells are designed to sense mechanical stimuli of sound using their apical stereocilia hair bundles. Mechanical deflection of this hair bundle is converted into an electrical signal through gating of mechano-electric transduction channels. Stiff probe stimulation of hair bundles is an invaluable tool for studying the transduction channel and its associated processes because of the speed and ability to precisely control hair bundle position. Proper construction of these devices is critical to their ultimate performance as is appropriate placement of the probe onto the hair bundle. Here we describe the construction and use of a glass probe coupled to a piezo-electric actuator for stimulating hair bundles, including the basic technique for positioning of the stimulating probe onto the hair bundle. These piezo-electric stimulators can be adapted to other mechanically sensitive systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony W Peng
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Edwards Bldg., Stanford, CA, 94025, USA
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12800 E 19th Ave Rm7127, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Anthony J Ricci
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Edwards Bldg., Stanford, CA, 94025, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94025, USA.
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Zhao B, Müller U. The elusive mechanotransduction machinery of hair cells. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2015; 34:172-9. [PMID: 26342686 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2015.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2015] [Revised: 08/06/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Hair cells in the mammalian cochlea are specialized sensory cells that convert mechanical signals evoked by sound waves into electrochemical signals. Several integral membrane proteins have recently been identified that are closely linked to the mechanotransduction process. Efforts are under way to determine the extent to which they are subunits of the long thought-after mechanotransduction channel. Recent findings also suggest that mechanotransduction may have a role in fine tuning the length of the stereocilia and thus in the regulation of morphological features of hair cells that are inherently linked to the mechanotransduction process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zhao
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
| | - Ulrich Müller
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States.
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Nam JH. Microstructures in the organ of Corti help outer hair cells form traveling waves along the cochlear coil. Biophys J 2015; 106:2426-33. [PMID: 24896121 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2014.04.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2013] [Revised: 04/05/2014] [Accepted: 04/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
According to the generally accepted theory of mammalian cochlear mechanics, the fluid in the cochlear scalae interacts with the elastic cochlear partition to generate transversely oscillating displacement waves that propagate along the cochlear coil. Using a computational model of cochlear segments, a different type of propagating wave is reported, an elastic propagating wave that is independent of the fluid-structure interaction. The characteristics of the propagating wave observed in the model, such as the wavelength, speed, and phase lag, are similar to those observed in the living cochlea. Three conditions are required for the existence of the elastic propagating wave in the cochlear partition without fluid-interaction: 1), the stiffness gradient of the cochlear partition; 2), the elastic longitudinal coupling; and 3), the Y-shaped structure in the organ of Corti formed by the outer hair cell, the Deiters cell, and the Deiters cell phalangeal process. The elastic propagating waves in the cochlear partition disappeared without the push-pull action provided by the outer hair cell and Deiters cell phalangeal process. The results suggest that the mechanical feedback of outer hair cells, facilitated by the organ of Corti microstructure, can control the tuning and amplification by modulating the cochlear traveling wave.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jong-Hoon Nam
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York.
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Effertz T, Scharr AL, Ricci AJ. The how and why of identifying the hair cell mechano-electrical transduction channel. Pflugers Arch 2014; 467:73-84. [PMID: 25241775 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-014-1606-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2014] [Revised: 08/28/2014] [Accepted: 09/01/2014] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Identification of the auditory hair cell mechano-electrical transduction (hcMET) channel has been a major focus in the hearing research field since the 1980s when direct mechanical gating of a transduction channel was proposed (Corey and Hudspeth J Neurosci 3:962-976, 1983). To this day, the molecular identity of this channel remains controversial. However, many of the hcMET channel's properties have been characterized, including pore properties, calcium-dependent ion permeability, rectification, and single channel conductance. At this point, elucidating the molecular identity of the hcMET channel will provide new tools for understanding the mechanotransduction process. This review discusses the significance of identifying the hcMET channel, the difficulties associated with that task, as well as the establishment of clear criteria for this identification. Finally, we discuss potential candidate channels in light of these criteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Effertz
- Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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50
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Fettiplace R, Kim KX. The physiology of mechanoelectrical transduction channels in hearing. Physiol Rev 2014; 94:951-86. [PMID: 24987009 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00038.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Much is known about the mechanotransducer (MT) channels mediating transduction in hair cells of the vertrbrate inner ear. With the use of isolated preparations, it is experimentally feasible to deliver precise mechanical stimuli to individual cells and record the ensuing transducer currents. This approach has shown that small (1-100 nm) deflections of the hair-cell stereociliary bundle are transmitted via interciliary tip links to open MT channels at the tops of the stereocilia. These channels are cation-permeable with a high selectivity for Ca(2+); two channels are thought to be localized at the lower end of the tip link, each with a large single-channel conductance that increases from the low- to high-frequency end of the cochlea. Ca(2+) influx through open channels regulates their resting open probability, which may contribute to setting the hair cell resting potential in vivo. Ca(2+) also controls transducer fast adaptation and force generation by the hair bundle, the two coupled processes increasing in speed from cochlear apex to base. The molecular intricacy of the stereocilary bundle and the transduction apparatus is reflected by the large number of single-gene mutations that are linked to sensorineural deafness, especially those in Usher syndrome. Studies of such mutants have led to the discovery of many of the molecules of the transduction complex, including the tip link and its attachments to the stereociliary core. However, the MT channel protein is still not firmly identified, nor is it known whether the channel is activated by force delivered through accessory proteins or by deformation of the lipid bilayer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Fettiplace
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Kyunghee X Kim
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
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