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Related Experiment Videos

Auditory amplification: outer hair cells pres the issue.

Gwénaëlle S G Géléoc1, Jeffrey R Holt

  • 1Department of Neuroscience, University of Virginia, PO Box 801392, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.

Trends in Neurosciences
|February 20, 2003
PubMed
Summary

The prestin motor protein is crucial for hearing in mammals. Deleting the prestin gene (pres) caused a significant loss in hearing sensitivity, indicating its role in the cochlear amplifier.

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Area of Science:

  • Auditory Neuroscience
  • Mammalian Physiology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Mammalian hearing relies on active feedback mechanisms for sensitivity and frequency selectivity.
  • The cochlear amplifier, responsible for amplifying sound stimuli, has remained elusive.
  • A novel membrane-bound motor protein, prestin, has been identified as a potential component of this system.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of the novel motor protein prestin in the mammalian auditory system.
  • To determine if prestin is a component of the cochlear amplifier.

Main Methods:

  • Targeted deletion of the pres gene in mammals.
  • Assessment of hearing sensitivity and auditory response following gene deletion.

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Main Results:

  • Pres-deleted mammals exhibited a hundred-fold loss in hearing sensitivity.
  • This significant reduction suggests prestin's critical function in auditory processing.

Conclusions:

  • The prestin motor protein is essential for normal hearing sensitivity in mammals.
  • These findings strongly suggest that prestin is a key component of the cochlear amplifier.