Molecular structures and conformations of protocadherin-15 and its complexes on stereocilia elucidated by cryo-electron tomography.

ABSTRACT: Mechanosensory transduction (MT), the conversion of mechanical stimuli into electrical signals, underpins hearing and balance and is carried out within hair cells in the inner ear. Hair cells harbor actin-filled stereocilia, arranged in rows of descending heights, where the tips of stereocilia are connected to their taller neighbors by a filament composed of protocadherin 15 (PCDH15) and cadherin 23 (CDH23), deemed the 'tip link.' Tension exerted on the tip link opens an ion channel at the tip of the shorter stereocilia, thus converting mechanical force into an electrical signal. While biochemical and structural studies have provided insights into the molecular composition and structure of isolated portions of the tip link, the architecture, location, and conformational states of intact ti

SUBMITTER: Elferich J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8776254 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature