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.
Cell Mol Life Sci. 2021 Jun;78(12):5083-5094. doi: 10.1007/s00018-021-03840-8. Epub 2021 Apr 19.
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.
声信号由毛细胞在耳蜗中获取和数字化，毛细胞进一步将编码信息传输到中枢听觉通路。毛细胞功能的任何缺陷都可能导致听觉系统和基于听觉的大脑功能出现问题。在过去的 20 年中，由于分子、结构和功能研究的进展，我们对听觉转导的理解有了实质性的加深。这些实验结果可以完美地嵌入到以前从解剖学、组织学、遗传学和生物物理学研究中建立的模式中。本综述旨在总结耳蜗毛细胞机械电转导（MET）通道的分子和细胞机制的研究进展，该机制涉及声音频率和强度的获取，这是声音线索的两个主要参数。我们还讨论了最近关于 TMC1 的研究，TMC1 可能是 MET 通道孔的组成分子。
