Nonmammalian orthologs of prestin (SLC26A5) are electrogenic divalent/chloride anion exchangers.

ABSTRACT: Individual members of the mammalian SLC26 anion transporter family serve two fundamentally distinct functions. Whereas most members transport different anion substrates across a variety of epithelia, prestin (SLC26A5) is special, functioning as a membrane-localized motor protein that generates electrically induced motions (electromotility) in auditory sensory hair cells of the mammalian inner ear. The transport mechanism of SLC26 proteins is not well understood, and a mechanistic relation between anion transport and electromotility has been suggested but not firmly established so far. To address these questions, we have cloned prestin orthologs from chicken and zebrafish, nonmammalian vertebrates that presumably lack electromotility in their auditory systems. Using patch-clamp recordings,

SUBMITTER: Schaechinger TJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1863495 | biostudies-literature | 2007 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature