普列斯是需要用于外部毛细胞的电动性和耳放大器的
M Charles Liberman1, Jiangang Gao, David Z Z He
1Department of Otology and Laryngology, Harvard Medical School and Eaton-Peabody Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
Nature
|September 20, 2002
概括
前列腺蛋白对于哺乳动物的听力放大是必不可少的. 在小鼠中删除普雷斯导致了显著的听力损失,证实了它作为囊中的分子电机的作用.
科学领域:
- 听觉神经科学 听觉神经科学
- 分子生物学分子生物学
- 哺乳动物生理学哺乳动物生理学
背景情况:
- 哺乳动物的听觉灵敏度通过涉及机械放大的过程被外部毛细胞 (OHCs) 放大.
- OHC具有电机传导,将电信号转换为机械变化,这对于听觉感觉至关重要.
- 一种膜蛋白质的前素被假设为负责OHC电流性的分子电机.
研究的目的:
- 调查普雷斯在外毛细胞电动性中的作用及其对耳放大功能的贡献.
- 为了确定是否普雷斯是驱动着哺乳动物耳敏感度增强的分子电机.
主要方法:
- 针对性地删除小鼠中的普雷斯基因.
- 在体外评估外毛细胞的电动性.
- 在体内测量耳灵敏度和听觉值.
主要成果:
- 在试验室中,针对性地删除普雷斯取消了外毛细胞的电动性.
- 缺乏前列素的小鼠在体内表现出40-60dB的耳敏感度损失.
- 异卵性小鼠的电动性减半,听觉值增加6dB,表明剂量依赖的效应.
结论:
- 普列斯被证实是负责外毛细胞电动性的运动蛋白.
- 在OHC电动性和耳放大之间存在直接的合.
- 这些发现消除了需要额外的活性过程来解释哺乳动物耳敏感性的需要.
相关概念视频
Hair Cells
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.
The Cochlea
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.
Anatomy of the Ear
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...


