Expression of potassium channels in gerbil outer hair cells during development does not require neural induction
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Updated: Oct 31, 2026
09:23
Auditory Brainstem Response and Outer Hair Cell Whole-cell Patch Clamp Recording in Postnatal Rats
Published on: May 24, 2018
1Auditory Physiology Laboratory, Hugh Knowles Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA. z-he2@nwu.edu
Brain Research. Developmental Brain Research
|November 25, 1997
Abstract:
Mammalian outer hair cells (OHCs) contain Ca and K channels in their synaptic pole. We questioned if the ontogeny of potassium currents of OHCs depends on the neural induction of early afferent contact. By recording whole-cell currents of OHCs grown in organotypic cultures deprived of afferent innervation, we show that a Ca-activated K channel is expressed in these cells, suggesting that the ontogeny of the K channel is an intrinsic process.
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01:24Non-gated Ion Channels
Ion channels are specialized proteins on the plasma membrane that allow charged ions to pass down their electrochemical gradient. Their main function is to maintain the membrane potential which is critical for cell viability. These channels are either gated or non-gated and can transport more than a thousand ions within milliseconds for the cellular event to occur.
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism.
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism.
01:41Action Potentials
Overview