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Excitation of fluorescent dyes inactivates the outer hair cell integral membrane motor protein prestin and betrays its lateral mobility

  • Sensory Systems
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Abstract

The outer hair cell motor protein, prestin, which resides exclusively in the cell's lateral membrane, underlies the mammal's exquisite sense of hearing. Here we show that photoexposure of the commonly used dyes Lucifer yellow, 6-carboxy-fluorescein, and 4-{2-[6-(dioctylamino)-2-naphthalenyl]ethenyl}-1-(3-sulfopropyl)-pyridinium (di-8-ANEPPS), that are in contact with the cell's lateral membrane can photo-inactivate the motor irreversibly, as evidenced by reduction in prestin's gating charge displacement or non-linear capacitance. Furthermore, utilizing restricted fiber optic illumination of the lateral membrane, we show that whole-cell, non-linear capacitance is depleted beyond that expected for an immobile population in the exposed area. These data indicate that lateral diffusion of prestin occurs within the cell's lateral plasma membrane.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by NIH-NIDCD grant DC00273 to JSS. We thank Paul Fahey, Michael Edidin, and Robert Phair for helpful discussions, and Margaret Mazzucco for technical help.

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Author notes

  1. Hong-Bo Zhao

    Present address: Div. of Otolaryngology, Dept. of Surgery, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, KY 40536, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Surgery (Otolaryngology) and Neurobiology, BML 244, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St., New Haven, CT 06510 , USA

    Joseph Santos-Sacchi & Hong-Bo Zhao

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  1. Joseph Santos-Sacchi
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  2. Hong-Bo Zhao
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Correspondence to Joseph Santos-Sacchi.

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Santos-Sacchi, J., Zhao, HB. Excitation of fluorescent dyes inactivates the outer hair cell integral membrane motor protein prestin and betrays its lateral mobility. Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol 446, 617–622 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-003-1053-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-003-1053-8

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