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Outer Hair Cells (with W. E. Brownell)
Outer hair cells (OHC) are sensory cells found in the cochlea. Outer hair cell electromotility is responsible for the amplification of high frequency vibrations in the mammalian inner ear and is characterized by a voltage dependent movement (contraction and elongation of the cell), and a concomitant charge movement within the membrane (a voltage-dependent capacitance). A significant force is produced during OHC electromotility by electromechanical coupling. Prestin, a protein found in the membranes of OHCs, is essential for OHC electromechanical coupling. The origin of the effect is unknown. Our immediate objective is to understand the voltage-dependent capacitance exhibited by OHCs and prestin-transfected mammalian cells and to reveal its biophysical origin.
Relevant Publications
Farrell B. C. Do. Shope and W.E. Brownell. Voltage dependent capacitance in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells. In review with Phys Rev. E. (Biological Physics).
Rabbit, R., B. Farrell and W.E. Brownell. 2006. Outer hair cell frequency dependent passive capacitance Paper presented at Association for Research in Otolaryngology – Baltimore, Maryland.
Farrell B, Ugrinov R, Brownell WE. Frequency dependence of admittance and conductance of the outer hair cell. In: Nuttall A, Gillespie P, Ren T, Grosh K, eds. Auditory Mechanisms: Processes and Models. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing; 2006. pp.230-1. |
