Hair cell bundles: flexoelectric motors of the inner ear.

Microvilli (stereocilia) projecting from the apex of hair cells in the inner ear are actively motile structures that feed energy into the vibration of the inner ear and enhance sensitivity to sound. The biophysical mechanism underlying the hair bundle motor is unknown. In this study, we examined a m...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales:	Kathryn D Breneman, William E Brownell, Richard D Rabbitt
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2009
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/aab1c11a3ad14d7394232b91d3b3e087
Etiquetas:	Agregar Etiqueta Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!

id	oai:doaj.org-article:aab1c11a3ad14d7394232b91d3b3e087
record_format	dspace
spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:aab1c11a3ad14d7394232b91d3b3e0872021-11-25T06:23:07ZHair cell bundles: flexoelectric motors of the inner ear.1932-620310.1371/journal.pone.0005201https://doaj.org/article/aab1c11a3ad14d7394232b91d3b3e0872009-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/19384413/?tool=EBIhttps://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203Microvilli (stereocilia) projecting from the apex of hair cells in the inner ear are actively motile structures that feed energy into the vibration of the inner ear and enhance sensitivity to sound. The biophysical mechanism underlying the hair bundle motor is unknown. In this study, we examined a membrane flexoelectric origin for active movements in stereocilia and conclude that it is likely to be an important contributor to mechanical power output by hair bundles. We formulated a realistic biophysical model of stereocilia incorporating stereocilia dimensions, the known flexoelectric coefficient of lipid membranes, mechanical compliance, and fluid drag. Electrical power enters the stereocilia through displacement sensitive ion channels and, due to the small diameter of stereocilia, is converted to useful mechanical power output by flexoelectricity. This motor augments molecular motors associated with the mechanosensitive apparatus itself that have been described previously. The model reveals stereocilia to be highly efficient and fast flexoelectric motors that capture the energy in the extracellular electro-chemical potential of the inner ear to generate mechanical power output. The power analysis provides an explanation for the correlation between stereocilia height and the tonotopic organization of hearing organs. Further, results suggest that flexoelectricity may be essential to the exquisite sensitivity and frequency selectivity of non-mammalian hearing organs at high auditory frequencies, and may contribute to the "cochlear amplifier" in mammals.Kathryn D BrenemanWilliam E BrownellRichard D RabbittPublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleMedicineRScienceQENPLoS ONE, Vol 4, Iss 4, p e5201 (2009)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Kathryn D Breneman William E Brownell Richard D Rabbitt Hair cell bundles: flexoelectric motors of the inner ear.
description	Microvilli (stereocilia) projecting from the apex of hair cells in the inner ear are actively motile structures that feed energy into the vibration of the inner ear and enhance sensitivity to sound. The biophysical mechanism underlying the hair bundle motor is unknown. In this study, we examined a membrane flexoelectric origin for active movements in stereocilia and conclude that it is likely to be an important contributor to mechanical power output by hair bundles. We formulated a realistic biophysical model of stereocilia incorporating stereocilia dimensions, the known flexoelectric coefficient of lipid membranes, mechanical compliance, and fluid drag. Electrical power enters the stereocilia through displacement sensitive ion channels and, due to the small diameter of stereocilia, is converted to useful mechanical power output by flexoelectricity. This motor augments molecular motors associated with the mechanosensitive apparatus itself that have been described previously. The model reveals stereocilia to be highly efficient and fast flexoelectric motors that capture the energy in the extracellular electro-chemical potential of the inner ear to generate mechanical power output. The power analysis provides an explanation for the correlation between stereocilia height and the tonotopic organization of hearing organs. Further, results suggest that flexoelectricity may be essential to the exquisite sensitivity and frequency selectivity of non-mammalian hearing organs at high auditory frequencies, and may contribute to the "cochlear amplifier" in mammals.
format	article
author	Kathryn D Breneman William E Brownell Richard D Rabbitt
author_facet	Kathryn D Breneman William E Brownell Richard D Rabbitt
author_sort	Kathryn D Breneman
title	Hair cell bundles: flexoelectric motors of the inner ear.
title_short	Hair cell bundles: flexoelectric motors of the inner ear.
title_full	Hair cell bundles: flexoelectric motors of the inner ear.
title_fullStr	Hair cell bundles: flexoelectric motors of the inner ear.
title_full_unstemmed	Hair cell bundles: flexoelectric motors of the inner ear.
title_sort	hair cell bundles: flexoelectric motors of the inner ear.
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2009
url	https://doaj.org/article/aab1c11a3ad14d7394232b91d3b3e087
work_keys_str_mv	AT kathryndbreneman haircellbundlesflexoelectricmotorsoftheinnerear AT williamebrownell haircellbundlesflexoelectricmotorsoftheinnerear AT richarddrabbitt haircellbundlesflexoelectricmotorsoftheinnerear
_version_	1718413820751249408

Hair cell bundles: flexoelectric motors of the inner ear.

Ejemplares similares