Ectopic mouse TMC1 and TMC2 alone form mechanosensitive channels that are potently modulated by TMIE.

ABSTRACT: The mechanotransduction (MT) channel expressed in cochlear and vestibular hair cells converts the mechanical stimulation of sound and head movements into electrochemical signals. Recently, TMC1 and TMC2 (TMC1/2) have been recognized as the pore-forming subunit of the MT channel, but TMC1/2 functional expression in heterologous cells-which is critical for unequivocally identifying them as the bona fide pore-forming subunit of the MT channel-has not been achieved because ectopic TMC1/2 become trapped in the ER. Here, we report that adding a Fyn lipidation tag to mouse TMC1/2 (mTMC1/2) drove their cell-surface expression, and, importantly, full-length mTMC1/2 expressed alone functioned as mechanosensitive channels, underscoring the view that TMC1/2 constitute the sole pore-forming subunit of

SUBMITTER: Chen Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11892609 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature