scholarly journals Decades-old model of slow adaptation in sensory hair cells is not supported in mammals

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (33) ◽  
pp. eabb4922
Author(s):  
Giusy A. Caprara ◽  
Andrew A. Mecca ◽  
Anthony W. Peng
Keyword(s):  
Hair Cells ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Hair Bundle ◽  
Current Decay ◽  
Vestibular Hair Cells ◽  
Slow Adaptation ◽  
Sensory Hair Cells ◽  
Myosin Motors ◽  
Motor Model

Hair cells detect sound and motion through a mechano-electric transduction (MET) process mediated by tip links connecting shorter stereocilia to adjacent taller stereocilia. Adaptation is a key feature of MET that regulates a cell’s dynamic range and frequency selectivity. A decades-old hypothesis proposes that slow adaptation requires myosin motors to modulate the tip-link position on taller stereocilia. This “motor model” depended on data suggesting that the receptor current decay had a time course similar to that of hair-bundle creep (a continued movement in the direction of a step-like force stimulus). Using cochlear and vestibular hair cells of mice, rats, and gerbils, we assessed how modulating adaptation affected hair-bundle creep. Our results are consistent with slow adaptation requiring myosin motors. However, the hair-bundle creep and slow adaptation were uncorrelated, challenging a critical piece of evidence upholding the motor model. Considering these data, we propose a revised model of hair cell adaptation.

scholarly journals Calcium entry does not drive fast mechanotransduction adaptation in cochlear hair cells

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giusy A. Caprara ◽  
Andrew A. Mecca ◽  
Yanli Wang ◽  
Anthony J. Ricci ◽  
Anthony W. Peng
Keyword(s):  
Hair Cells ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Calcium Entry ◽  
Hair Bundle ◽  
Adaptation Mechanism ◽  
Calcium Dependent ◽  
Sensory Hair Cells ◽  
Adaptation Response ◽  
Fast Adaptation

AbstractSound detection in auditory sensory hair cells depends on the deflection of the stereocilia hair bundle, which opens mechano-electric transduction (MET) channels. Adaptation is hypothesized to be a critical property of MET that contributes to the wide dynamic range and sharp frequency selectivity of the auditory system. Historically, adaptation was hypothesized to have multiple mechanisms, all of which require calcium entry through MET channels. Our recent work using a stiff probe to displace hair bundles showed that the fastest adaptation mechanism (fast adaptation) does not require calcium entry. Using a fluid-jet stimulus, others obtained data showing only a calcium-dependent fast adaptation response. Here, we identified the source of this discrepancy. Because the hair cell response to a hair bundle stimulus depends critically on the magnitude and time course of the hair bundle deflection, we developed a high-speed imaging technique to quantify this deflection. The fluid jet delivers a force stimulus, and step-like force stimuli lead to a complex time course of hair bundle displacement (mechanical creep), which affects the hair cell’s macroscopic MET current response by masking the time course of the fast adaptation response. Modifying the fluid-jet stimulus to generate a step-like hair bundle displacement produced rapidly adapting currents that did not depend on membrane potential. This indicated that fast adaptation does not depend on calcium entry. We also confirmed the presence of a calcium-dependent slow adaptation process. These results confirm the existence of multiple adaptation processes: a fast adaptation that is not driven by calcium entry and a slower calcium-dependent process.Significance StatementMechanotransduction by sensory hair cells represents a key first step for the sound sensing ability in vertebrates. The sharp frequency tuning and wide dynamic range of sound sensation are hypothesized to require a mechanotransduction adaptation mechanism. For decades, it had been accepted that all adaptation mechanisms require calcium entry into hair cells. However, more recent work indicated that the apparent calcium dependence of the fastest adaptation differs with the method of cochlear hair cell stimulation. Here, we reconcile existing data and show that calcium entry does not drive the fastest adaptation process, independent of the stimulation method.

scholarly journals Mechanical Frequency Tuning by Sensory Hair Cells, the Receptors and Amplifiers of the Inner Ear

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal Martin ◽  
A.J. Hudspeth
Keyword(s):  
Hopf Bifurcation ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Force Feedback ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Frequency Tuning ◽  
Hair Bundle ◽  
Annual Review ◽  
Publication Date ◽  
Mechanical Waves ◽  
Myosin Motors

We recognize sounds by analyzing their frequency content. Different frequency components evoke distinct mechanical waves that each travel within the hearing organ, or cochlea, to a frequency-specific place. These signals are detected by hair cells, the ear's sensory receptors, in response to vibrations of mechanically sensitive antennas termed hair bundles. An active process enhances the sensitivity, sharpens the frequency tuning, and broadens the dynamic range of hair cells through several mechanisms, including active hair-bundle motility. A dynamic interplay between negative stiffness mediated by ion channels’ gating forces and delayed force feedback owing to myosin motors and channel reclosure by calcium ions brings the hair bundle to the vicinity of an oscillatory instability—a Hopf bifurcation. Operation near a Hopf bifurcation provides nonlinear generic features that are characteristic of hearing. Multiple gradients at molecular, cellular, and supercellular scales tune hair cells to characteristic frequencies that cover our auditory range. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Condensed Matter Physics, Volume 12 is March 10, 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

scholarly journals The calcium-activated potassium channels of turtle hair cells.

1995 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
J J Art ◽  
Y C Wu ◽  
R Fettiplace
Keyword(s):  
Resonant Frequency ◽  
Time Constant ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Hair Bundle ◽  
Sk Channels ◽  
Channel Kinetics ◽  
Ca Current

A major factor determining the electrical resonant frequency of turtle cochlear hair cells is the time course of the Ca-activated K current (Art, J. J., and R. Fettiplace. 1987. Journal of Physiology. 385:207-242). We have examined the notion that this time course is dictated by the K channel kinetics by recording single Ca-activated K channels in inside-out patches from isolated cells. A hair cell's resonant frequency was estimated from its known correlation with the dimensions of the hair bundle. All cells possess BK channels with a similar unit conductance of approximately 320 pS but with different mean open times of 0.25-12 ms. The time constant of relaxation of the average single-channel current at -50 mV in 4 microM Ca varied between cells from 0.4 to 13 ms and was correlated with the hair bundle height. The magnitude and voltage dependence of the time constant agree with the expected behavior of the macroscopic K(Ca) current, whose speed may thus be limited by the channel kinetics. All BK channels had similar sensitivities to Ca which produced half-maximal activation for a concentration of approximately 2 microM at +50 mV and 12 microM at -50 mV. We estimate from the voltage dependence of the whole-cell K(Ca) current that the BK channels may be fully activated at -35 mV by a rise in intracellular Ca to 50 microM. BK channels were occasionally observed to switch between slow and fast gating modes which raises the possibility that the range of kinetics of BK channels observed in different hair cells reflects a common channel protein whose kinetics are regulated by an unidentified intracellular factor. Membrane patches also contained 30 pS SK channels which were approximately 5 times more Ca-sensitive than BK channels at -50 mV. The SK channels may underlie the inhibitory synaptic potential produced in hair cells by efferent stimulation.

scholarly journals Two Temporal Phases of Light Adaptation in Retinal Rods

2002 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter D. Calvert ◽  
Victor I. Govardovskii ◽  
Vadim Y. Arshavsky ◽  
Clint L. Makino
Keyword(s):  
Binding Sites ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Light Adaptation ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Continuous Illumination ◽  
Slow Phase ◽  
Fast Phase ◽  
Slow Adaptation ◽  
Adaptation Phase

Vertebrate rod photoreceptors adjust their sensitivity as they adapt during exposure to steady light. Light adaptation prevents the rod from saturating and significantly extends its dynamic range. We examined the time course of the onset of light adaptation in bullfrog rods and compared it with the projected onset of feedback reactions thought to underlie light adaptation on the molecular level. We found that adaptation developed in two distinct temporal phases: (1) a fast phase that operated within seconds after the onset of illumination, which is consistent with most previous reports of a 1–2-s time constant for the onset of adaptation; and (2) a slow phase that engaged over tens of seconds of continuous illumination. The fast phase desensitized the rods as much as 80-fold, and was observed at every light intensity tested. The slow phase was observed only at light intensities that suppressed more than half of the dark current. It provided an additional sensitivity loss of up to 40-fold before the rod saturated. Thus, rods achieved a total degree of adaptation of ∼3,000-fold. Although the fast adaptation is likely to originate from the well characterized Ca2+-dependent feedback mechanisms regulating the activities of several phototransduction cascade components, the molecular mechanism underlying slow adaptation is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that the slow adaptation phase is mediated by cGMP dissociation from noncatalytic binding sites on the cGMP phosphodiesterase, which has been shown to reduce the lifetime of activated phosphodiesterase in vitro. Although cGMP dissociated from the noncatalytic binding sites in intact rods with kinetics approximating that for the slow adaptation phase, this hypothesis was ruled out because the intensity of light required for cGMP dissociation far exceeded that required to evoke the slow phase. Other possible mechanisms are discussed.

Crosslinks between stereocilia in hair cells of the human and guinea pig vestibular labyrinth

1986 ◽  
Vol 100 (12) ◽  
pp. 1367-1374 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Jeffries ◽  
James O. Pickles ◽  
Michael P. Osborne ◽  
Peter H. Rhys-Evans ◽  
Spiro D. Comis
Keyword(s):  
Guinea Pig ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Semicircular Canals ◽  
Sensory Transduction ◽  
Hair Bundle ◽  
Vestibular Labyrinth ◽  
Vestibular Hair Cells ◽  
Cuticular Plate ◽  
Temporal Bones

AbstractThe saccules and ampullae of the semicircular canals from human and guinea pig temporal bones were fixed in glutaraldehyde without osmium. Crosslinks were seen between stereocilia of the vestibular hair cells, similar to those previously demonstrated in the guinea pig, although an additional set of crosslinks was displayed: first, horizontal crosslinks were seen between adjacent stereocilia, occupying most of the length of the hair bundle; secondly, a single upward-pointing link ran from the apex of each shorter stereocilium into the shaft of the adjacent taller ster-eocilium; thirdly, an extensive array of horizontal links were demonstrated between stereocilia close to their insertion into the cuticular plate. We suggest that these basal crosslinks support the long vestibular stereocilia rendering them more rigid, and that the upwind pointing crosslinks are responsible for the initiation of sensory transduction.

scholarly journals Multiple PDZ domain protein maintains patterning of the apical cytoskeleton in sensory hair cells

Development ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amandine Jarysta ◽  
Basile Tarchini
Keyword(s):  
Hair Cell ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Pdz Domain ◽  
Hair Bundle ◽  
Structural Defects ◽  
Sensory Hair ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Sensory Hair Cells ◽  
Sound Transduction

Sound transduction occurs in the hair bundle, the apical compartment of sensory hair cells in the inner ear. The hair bundle is formed of actin-based stereocilia aligned in rows of graded heights. It was previously shown that the GNAI-GPSM2 complex is part of a developmental blueprint that defines the polarized organization of the apical cytoskeleton in hair cells, including stereocilia distribution and elongation. Here we report a novel and critical role for Multiple PDZ domain (MPDZ) protein during apical hair cell morphogenesis. We show that MPDZ is enriched at the hair cell apical membrane along with MAGUK p55 subfamily member 5 (MPP5/PALS1) and the Crumbs protein CRB3. MPDZ is required there to maintain the proper segregation of apical blueprints proteins, including GNAI-GPSM2. Loss of the blueprint coincides with misaligned stereocilia placement in Mpdz mutant hair cells, and results in permanently misshapen hair bundles. Graded molecular and structural defects along the cochlea can explain the profile of hearing loss in Mpdz mutants, where deficits are most severe at high frequencies.

scholarly journals Hair-Cell Versus Afferent Adaptation in the Semicircular Canals

2005 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 424-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Rabbitt ◽  
R. Boyle ◽  
G. R. Holstein ◽  
S. M. Highstein
Keyword(s):  
Hair Cell ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Semicircular Canal ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Cell Voltage ◽  
Frequency Dependent ◽  
Adaptation Time ◽  
Phase Lead ◽  
Flat Gain

The time course and extent of adaptation in semicircular canal hair cells was compared to adaptation in primary afferent neurons for physiological stimuli in vivo to study the origins of the neural code transmitted to the brain. The oyster toadfish, Opsanus tau, was used as the experimental model. Afferent firing-rate adaptation followed a double-exponential time course in response to step cupula displacements. The dominant adaptation time constant varied considerably among afferent fibers and spanned six orders of magnitude for the population (∼1 ms to >1,000 s). For sinusoidal stimuli (0.1–20 Hz), the rapidly adapting afferents exhibited a 90° phase lead and frequency-dependent gain, whereas slowly adapting afferents exhibited a flat gain and no phase lead. Hair-cell voltage and current modulations were similar to the slowly adapting afferents and exhibited a relatively flat gain with very little phase lead over the physiological bandwidth and dynamic range tested. Semicircular canal microphonics also showed responses consistent with the slowly adapting subset of afferents and with hair cells. The relatively broad diversity of afferent adaptation time constants and frequency-dependent discharge modulations relative to hair-cell voltage implicate a subsequent site of adaptation that plays a major role in further shaping the temporal characteristics of semicircular canal afferent neural signals.

scholarly journals Multiple PDZ Domain Protein Maintains Patterning of the Apical Cytoskeleton in Sensory Hair Cells

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amandine Jarysta ◽  
Basile Tarchini
Keyword(s):  
Hair Cell ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Pdz Domain ◽  
Hair Bundle ◽  
Structural Defects ◽  
Sensory Hair ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Sensory Hair Cells ◽  
Sound Transduction

SUMMARYSound transduction occurs in the hair bundle, the apical compartment of sensory hair cells in the inner ear. The hair bundle is formed of stereocilia aligned in rows of graded heights. It was previously shown that the GNAI-GPSM2 complex is part of a developmental blueprint that defines the polarized organization of the apical cytoskeleton in hair cells, including stereocilia distribution and elongation. Here we report a novel and critical role for Multiple PDZ domain (MPDZ) protein during apical hair cell morphogenesis. We show that MPDZ is enriched at the hair cell apical membrane, and required there to maintain the proper segregation of apical blueprints proteins, including GNAI-GPSM2. Loss of the blueprint coincides with misaligned stereocilia in Mpdz mutants, and results in permanently misshapen hair bundles. Graded molecular and structural defects along the cochlea can explain the profile of hearing loss in Mpdz mutants, where deficits are most severe at high frequencies.

scholarly journals Cy3-ATP labeling of unfixed, permeabilized mouse hair cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Itallia V. Pacentine ◽  
Peter G. Barr-Gillespie
Keyword(s):  
Hair Cells ◽  
Actin Polymerization ◽  
Cytochalasin D ◽  
Myosin Isoforms ◽  
Substantial Fraction ◽  
Vestibular Hair Cells ◽  
Sensory Hair Cells ◽  
Latrunculin A ◽  
Actin Turnover

AbstractATP-utilizing enzymes play key roles in hair bundles, the mechanically sensitive organelles of sensory hair cells in the inner ear. We used a fluorescent ATP analog, EDA-ATP-Cy3 (Cy3-ATP), to label ATP-binding proteins in two different preparations of unfixed hair-cell stereocilia of the mouse. In the first preparation, we lightly permeabilized dissected cochleas, then labeled them with Cy3-ATP. Hair cells and their stereocilia remained intact, and stereocilia tips in rows 1 and 2 were labeled particularly strongly with Cy3-ATP. In many cases, vanadate (Vi) traps nucleotides at the active site of myosin isoforms and presents nucleotide dissociation. Co-application with Vi enhanced the tip labeling, which is consistent with myosin isoforms being responsible. By contrast, the actin polymerization inhibitors latrunculin A and cytochalasin D had no effect, suggesting that actin turnover at stereocilia tips was not involved. Cy3-ATP labeling was substantially reduced—but did not disappear altogether—in mutant cochleas lacking MYO15A; by contrast, labeling remained robust in cochleas lacking MYO7A. In the second preparation, used to quantify Cy3-ATP labeling, we labeled vestibular stereocilia that had been adsorbed to glass, which demonstrated that tip labeling was higher in longer stereocilia. We found that tip signal was reduced by ~ 50% in Myo15ash2/sh2 stereocilia as compared to Myo15ash2/+stereocilia. These results suggest that MYO15A accounts for a substantial fraction of the Cy3-ATP tip labeling in vestibular hair cells, and so this novel preparation could be utilized to examine the control of MYO15A ATPase activity in situ.

scholarly journals Stereocilia Rootlets: Actin-Based Structures That Are Essential for Structural Stability of the Hair Bundle

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Itallia Pacentine ◽  
Paroma Chatterjee ◽  
Peter G. Barr-Gillespie
Keyword(s):  
Inner Ear ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Actin Filaments ◽  
Hair Bundle ◽  
Sensory Hair ◽  
Sensory Hair Cells ◽  
Associated Proteins ◽  
Unique Manner ◽  
Electrical Impulses ◽  
Mechanical Movement

Sensory hair cells of the inner ear rely on the hair bundle, a cluster of actin-filled stereocilia, to transduce auditory and vestibular stimuli into electrical impulses. Because they are long and thin projections, stereocilia are most prone to damage at the point where they insert into the hair cell’s soma. Moreover, this is the site of stereocilia pivoting, the mechanical movement that induces transduction, which additionally weakens this area mechanically. To bolster this fragile area, hair cells construct a dense core called the rootlet at the base of each stereocilium, which extends down into the actin meshwork of the cuticular plate and firmly anchors the stereocilium. Rootlets are constructed with tightly packed actin filaments that extend from stereocilia actin filaments which are wrapped with TRIOBP; in addition, many other proteins contribute to the rootlet and its associated structures. Rootlets allow stereocilia to sustain innumerable deflections over their lifetimes and exemplify the unique manner in which sensory hair cells exploit actin and its associated proteins to carry out the function of mechanotransduction.

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