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Related Concept Videos

Hair Cells01:22

Hair Cells

40.7K
Hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system—they transduce mechanical sound waves into electrical energy that the nervous system can understand. Hair cells are located in the organ of Corti within the cochlea of the inner ear, between the basilar and tectorial membranes. The actual sensory receptors are called inner hair cells. The outer hair cells serve other functions, such as sound amplification in the cochlea, and are not discussed in detail here.
40.7K
The Cochlea01:13

The Cochlea

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The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.
45.2K
Auditory Pathway01:15

Auditory Pathway

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Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking...
5.5K
Anatomy of the Ear01:16

Anatomy of the Ear

8.4K
Auditory sensation, commonly called hearing, involves the transformation of sonic waves into neural impulses facilitated by the structures of the auditory organ. The prominent, flesh-like structure on the side of the head, called the auricle, directs sound waves towards the auditory canal. The auricle is often mislabeled as the pinna, a term more aligned with mobile structures like a feline's external ear. The auditory canal penetrates the cranium via the external auditory meatus of the...
8.4K
Equilibrium and Balance01:15

Equilibrium and Balance

4.8K
The inner ear assumes dual functionalities of auditory perception and equilibrium maintenance. The vestibule is the organ responsible for balance. This organ contains mechanoreceptors, specifically hair cells, endowed with stereocilia, which aid in deciphering information regarding the position and motion of our heads. Two intrinsic components, the utricle and saccule, help perceive head position, while the semicircular canals track head movement. Neurological messages initiated in the...
4.8K
The Auditory Ossicles01:11

The Auditory Ossicles

1.7K
The auditory ossicles of the middle ear transmit sounds from the air as vibrations to the fluid-filled cochlea. The auditory ossicles consist of two malleus (hammer) bones, two incus (anvil) bones, and two stapes (stirrups), one on each side. These bones develop during the fetal stage and are the ones to ossify first. They are fully mature at birth and do not grow afterward.
The aptly named stapes look very much like a stirrup. The three ossicles are unique to mammals, and each plays a role in...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 2025

Dextran Labeling and Uptake in Live and Functional Murine Cochlear Hair Cells
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Dextran Labeling and Uptake in Live and Functional Murine Cochlear Hair Cells

Published on: February 8, 2020

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mTORC2 regulates auditory hair cell structure and function.

Maurizio Cortada1, Soledad Levano1, Michael N Hall2

  • 1Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland.

Iscience
|September 11, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) pathway is crucial for auditory sensory hair cell (HC) structure and function. Disruption of mTORC2 in HCs leads to progressive hearing loss and hair cell degeneration.

Keywords:
Cell biologyMolecular biology

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Author Spotlight: Advancements in Cultivating Mouse Hair Cells for Auditory Research
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Author Spotlight: Advancements in Cultivating Mouse Hair Cells for Auditory Research
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Author Spotlight: Advancements in Cultivating Mouse Hair Cells for Auditory Research

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Otolaryngology

Background:

  • The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway regulates cell growth.
  • The specific role of mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2) in the inner ear, particularly in sensory hair cells (HCs), remains largely uncharacterized.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the function of mTORC2 in auditory sensory hair cells.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying mTORC2's role in maintaining HC structure and function.

Main Methods:

  • Generation of hair cell-specific Rictor knockout (HC-RicKO) mice.
  • Auditory function assessment using distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs).
  • Ultrastructural analysis of cochlear hair cells and synaptic structures.

Main Results:

  • HC-RicKO mice displayed early-onset, progressive, and profound hearing loss.
  • Outer hair cell (OHC) dysfunction was indicated by increased DPOAE thresholds.
  • Ultrastructural defects included stunted stereocilia in OHCs, decreased inner hair cell (IHC) synapses, disrupted actin cytoskeleton, and disorganized Ca2+ channels in IHCs.

Conclusions:

  • The mTORC2 signaling pathway is essential for regulating the structure and function of auditory hair cells.
  • mTORC2 regulates cochlear HCs through modulation of the actin cytoskeleton.
  • These findings offer molecular insights into a key regulator of cochlear hair cells and hearing.