title: Voltage-sensitive prestin orthologue expressed in zebrafish hair cells.
abstract: Prestin, a member of the solute carrier (SLC) family SLC26A, is the molecular motor that drives the somatic electromotility of mammalian outer hair cells (OHCs). Its closest reported homologue, zebrafish prestin (zprestin), shares approximately 70% strong amino acid sequence similarity with mammalian prestin, predicting an almost identical protein structure. Immunohistochemical analysis now shows that zprestin is expressed in hair cells of the zebrafish ear. Similar to mammalian prestin, heterologously expressed zprestin is found to generate voltage-dependent charge movements, giving rise to a non-linear capacitance (NLC) of the cell membrane. Compared with mammalian prestin, charge movements mediated by zprestin display a weaker voltage dependence and slower kinetics; they occur at more positive membrane voltages, and are not associated with electromotile responses. Given this functional dissociation of NLC and electromotility and the structural similarity with mammalian prestin, we anticipate that zprestin provides a valuable tool for tracing the molecular and evolutionary bases of prestin motor function.
authors.affiliation: University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörg T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Albert
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Winter
authors.forename: Thorsten J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Schaechinger
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: David Z Z
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hendrich
authors.forename: Hyun-Soon
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Geisler
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oelmann
authors.forename: Marlies
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Knipper
authors.forename: Martin C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Göpfert
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oliver
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D027321:Anion Transport Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D025802:Electric Capacitance; D005091:Exons; D015870:Gene Expression; D006198:Hair Cells, Auditory / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D015394:Molecular Structure; D014162:Transfection; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D027321:Anion Transport Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C521130:slc26a5 protein, zebrafish