Meeting Abstract
Hair cell sensory transduction was first characterized ~40 years ago. Although electrophysiology of hair cell sensory transduction has been studied intensively, the molecular basis of hair cell transduction remains unclear. Over the past 30 years, scientists have sought to identify the fundamental protein that converts sound stimuli into electrical signals in hair cells. Several candidate proteins have been suggested to be involved in hair cell transduction, but most do not match the biophysical properties of hair cell transduction channels. Recently, TMC1 and TMC2 were found to be required for conventional sensory transduction in mammalian hair cells, and may be components of hair cell transduction channel. Although the exact function of TMC proteins has been controversial, a growing body of evidence suggests TMC1 may be a pore-forming subunit of hair cell transduction channel. For this presentation, I will discuss the evidence that supports a role of for TMC1 in hair cell sensory transduction and will discuss evidence that supports alternate hypotheses for TMC1 function. Lastly, I will discuss future directions in hair cell research that may help resolve the controversy and reveal a definitive role for TMC1 in hair cell sensory transduction.
