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Mechanisms in cochlear hair cell mechano-electrical transduction for acquisition of sound frequency and intensity

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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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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31522025, 31571080, 81873703, and 31861163003), Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission (Z181100001518001), and a startup fund from the Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences. W.X. is a CIBR cooperative investigator (2020-NKX-XM-04) funded by the Open Collaborative Research Program of Chinese Institute for Brain Research.

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  1. School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, 1 Qinghuayuan, Beijing, 100084, China

    Shuang Liu, Shufeng Wang, Linzhi Zou & Wei Xiong

  2. IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Tsinghua University, Tsinghua University, 1 Qinghuayuan, Beijing, 100084, China

    Shuang Liu, Shufeng Wang, Linzhi Zou & Wei Xiong

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  1. Shuang Liu
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  2. Shufeng Wang
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  3. Linzhi Zou
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  4. Wei Xiong
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Correspondence to Wei Xiong.

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Liu, S., Wang, S., Zou, L. et al. Mechanisms in cochlear hair cell mechano-electrical transduction for acquisition of sound frequency and intensity. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 78, 5083–5094 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-021-03840-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-021-03840-8

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