PIEZO2 as the anomalous mechanotransducer channel in auditory hair cells

Throughout postnatal maturation of the mouse inner ear, cochlear hair cells display at least two types of mechanically gated ion channel: normal mechanotransducer (MT) channels at the tips of the stereocilia, activated by tension in interciliary tip links, and anomalous mechanosensitive (MS) channels on the top surface of the cells. The anomalous MS channels are responsible for the reverse-polarity current that appears in mutants in which normal transduction is lost. They are also seen in wild-type hair cells around birth, appearing 2 days earlier than normal MT channels, and being down-regulated with the emergence of the normal channels. We review the evidence that the normal and anomalous channels are distinct channel types, which includes differences in localization, susceptibility to pharmacological agents, single-channel conductance and Ca²⁺ permeability. The dichotomy is reinforced by the observation that the anomalous current is absent in cochlear cells of Piezo2-null mice, even though the normal MT current persists. The anomalous current is suppressed by high intracellular Ca²⁺ , suggesting that influx of the divalent ion via more Ca²⁺ -permeable normal MT channels inhibits the anomalous channels, thus explaining the temporal relationship between the two. Piezo2-null mice have largely normal hearing, exhibiting up to 20 dB elevation in threshold in the acoustic brainstem response, so raising questions about the significance of PIEZO2 in the cochlea. Since the anomalous current declines with postnatal age, PIEZO2 may contribute to hair cell development, but it does not underlie the normal MT current. Its role in the development of hearing is not understood.