Membrane properties of cells comprising the OHC system

描述（由申请人提供）：Corti器官由多种类型的细胞组成，包括感觉细胞、支持细胞和神经细胞。综上所述，这些细胞组成了一个功能复杂且有凝聚力的电子单元，启动了我们环境中声学信息的分析。这个电单位是极其复杂的，几乎解剖难以接近，使整个分析相当具有挑战性。幸运的是，在过去几年中，体外方法，包括分离耳蜗和细胞制备，有助于阐明细胞功能；我们的策略是首先了解单个细胞，最后将这些知识整合到对Corti器官的全面了解中。本项目的总体目标是分析外毛细胞（OHC）的膜特性，主要使用全细胞电压和电流箝位技术的变化。我们打算1)研究可能影响其运动性能的热碳膜特性，2)研究热碳马达的氯依赖变构调节，3)研究马达生物物理敏感性的发育变化。我相信，及时评估这三个具体的研究目标将有助于我们了解影响周围听觉系统性能的关键因素。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The organ of Corti is composed of a variety of cell types including sensory, supporting and neural elements. Taken together, these cells comprise a functionally intricate and cohesive electrical unit that initiates the analysis of acoustic information within our environment. This electrical unit is extremely complex and nearly anatomically inaccessible, making an analysis of the whole quite a challenge. Fortunately, during the last several years the in vitro approach, including the isolated cochlea and cell preparations, has aided in the elucidation of cell function; the strategy is to understand the cells first on an individual basis, and finally to integrate this knowledge into a complete understanding of the organ of Corti. The overall aim of this project is to analyze the membrane properties of the outer hair cell (OHC), one of the major players in auditory function, principally using variations on the whole cell voltage and current clamp technique. We intend to 1) study characteristics of the OHC membrane that may impact on its motor performance, 2) study the chloride dependent allosteric modulation of the OHC motor and 3) study the developmental changes in the motor's biophysical sensitivities. I believe that the timely evaluation of these three specific research aims will help us appreciate key elements contributing to peripheral auditory system performance.