Mechano-electrical transduction in mice lacking the alpha-subunit of the epithelial sodium channel

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_DD4725C8E2DB
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Mechano-electrical transduction in mice lacking the alpha-subunit of the epithelial sodium channel
Journal
Hearing Research
Author(s)
Rüsch A., Hummler E.
ISSN
0378-5955 (Print)
Publication state
Published
Issued date
05/1999
Volume
131
Number
1-2
Pages
170-76
Notes
Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't --- Old month value: May
Abstract
Sensory hair cells of the vertebrate inner ear use mechanically gated transducer channels (MET) to perceive mechanical stimuli. The molecular nature of the MET channel is not known but several findings suggested that the amiloride-sensitive epithelial Na+ channel, ENaC, might be a candidate gene for this function. In order to test this hypothesis, we examined knockout mice deficient in the alpha-subunit of ENaC, and therefore in ENaC function. First, neonatal alphaENaC(-/-) mice exhibited vestibular reflexes not different from wildtype littermates thus indicating normal vestibular function. We used organotypic cultures of cochlear outer hair cells from newborns to rescue the hair cells from the perinatal death of alphaENaC(-/-) mice. When hair bundles of cochlear outer hair cells of alphaENaC(-/-) mice were mechanically stimulated by a fluid jet in whole cell voltage clamp experiments, transducer currents were elicited that were not significantly different from those of alphaENaC(+/-) or (+/+) cochlear outer hair cells. These results suggest that the vertebrate mechano-electrical transducer apparatus does not include the alpha-subunit of the epithelial Na+ channel.
Keywords
Animals Animals, Newborn/physiology Epithelial Sodium Channel Hair Cells, Outer/physiology Mice Mice, Knockout/genetics Organ Culture Techniques Organ of Corti/cytology/physiology Patch-Clamp Techniques Physical Stimulation Reference Values Signal Transduction/*physiology Sodium Channels/genetics/*physiology Vestibule/physiology
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
24/01/2008 12:42
Last modification date
20/08/2019 16:02
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