Compliance of the hair bundle associated with gating of mechanoelectrical transduction channels in the Bullfrog's saccular hair cell

摘要: Mechanical stimuli are thought to open the transduction channels of a hair cell by tensing elastic components, gating springs, that pull directly on channels. To test this model, we measured stiffness bundles during mechanical stimulation. A bundle's compliance increased about 40% at position where half opened. This attribute conformational changes as they and close. The magnitude displacement dependence provide quantitative information molecular basis mechanoelectrical transduction: force required each channel, number per cell, spring, swing channel's gate it opens.