Linkage of sub-membrane-cisterns with the cytoskeleton and the plasma membrane in cochlear outer hair cells.

The fine structure of the organ of Corti in the mole-rat (Spalax sp.) was studied. All outer hair cells possessed a single layer of membrane bound vesicles which lined the plasma membrane along the lateral aspect of the cell, except in the cuticular plate and in synapse areas. This organization of vesicles was not observed in inner hair cells. Most of the vesicles were laterally linked to the cell membrane by pairs of 25 nm long 'arms' while medially they were connected to microtubules. The three-dimensional organization and the possible role of the sub-membrane vesicles in the process of auditory transduction are discussed.