Nanotechnology in Auditory Research: Membrane Electromechanics in Hearing.
The soft, thin membranes that envelop all living cells are 2D, nanoscale, fluid assemblies of phospholipids, sterols, proteins, and other molecules. Mechanical interactions between these components facilitate membrane function, a key example of which is ion flow mediated by the mechanical opening and closing of channels. Hearing and balance are initiated by the modulation of ion flow through mechanoreceptor channels in stereocilia membranes. Cochlear amplification by the outer hair cell involves modulation of ion movement by the membrane protein prestin. Voltage-gated ion channels shape the receptor potential in hair cells and are responsible for the initiation of action potentials that are at the heart of sensory processing in the brain. All three processes require a membrane and their kinetics are modulated by the mechanical (i.e., material) properties of the membrane. This chapter reviews the methodology for measuring the mechanics of cellular membranes and introduces a method for examining membrane electromechanics. The approach allows examination of electromechanically mediated interactions between the different molecular species in the membrane that contribute to the biology of hearing and balance.
Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
Mussie
M
Araya
Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. brownell@bcm.edu.|Department of Otolaryngology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. brownell@bcm.edu.|Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. brownell@bcm.edu.
William E
WE
Brownell
D000818:Animals; D027321:Anion Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D018072:Hair Cells, Auditory, Outer / Q000502:physiology; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation; D059547:Stereocilia / Q000502:physiology*; D000076988:Sulfate Transporters
D027321:Anion Transport Proteins; C498719:SLC26A5 protein, human; D000076988:Sulfate Transporters
Ion channels; Membrane electromechanics; Membrane/protein interactions; Neurons; Optical tweezers; Outer hair cells; Patch clamp; Phospholipids; Prestin; Sterols