Functional and morphological comparisons between cochlear outer hair cells and muscle tissues in the guinea-pig

The effect of polylysine on the motility of outer hair cells and various muscle types was compared. Poly-L-lysine and its stereoisomer, poly-D-lysine, inhibited acoustically induced length changes of isolated outer hair cells from the guinea-pig hearing organ. The frequency specific displacements of the hearing organ in response to a tone stimulus are also inhibited to polylysine (Brundin et al. 1991). Poly-L-lysine, and its stereoisomer, irreversibly attenuated motile responses to transmural stimulation of guinea-pig ileum, vas deferens and taenia coli in a dose dependent manner, but were without significant effect on motile responses in skeletal and heart muscle. L-lysine, D-lysine, and the negatively charged polyaminoacid poly-L-aspartate, were without significant effect on outer hair cell and smooth muscle motility. The inhibitory effect of polylysine in smooth muscle is a direct effect on the muscle cell since polylysine attenuated acetylcholine- and adenosine triphosphate-induced contractions in the ileum, and ATP- or noradrenaline-induced contractions in the vas deferens. Pillar structures, believed to be of importance to excitation contraction coupling, were compared. In heart and skeletal muscle the pillars span the gap between sarcoplasmic reticulum and T-tubuli, deeply recessed into the muscle cell. In smooth muscle and outer hair cell the pillars are in closer relation to the cell exterior. The length of the pillars of the outer hair cells exceeds by two times that of smooth and skeletal muscle. The susceptibility of outer hair cells and smooth muscle tissue to the positively charged polylysine may indicate similarities in membrane or channel composition.