BK Channels of Hair Cells

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposal seeks to bring a molecular understanding of how large conductance calcium activated potassium (BK) channels, which are important for hearing affect hair cell function using mouse and chicken hair cells as a model system. The channels consist of the Slo protein and a variable number of associated proteins The proposal seeks to determine how BK channels are localized at the basolateral surface of hair cells. In particular the proposal seeks to ascertain how Slo trafficking in hair cells occur ad tests the hypothesis that Slo in hair cells uses the basolateral secretory pathway in polarized epithelial cells. The role of phosphorylation and associated proteins in bringing about basolateral sorting will be explored. The project will also determine how splicing, phosphorylation and Slo associated proteins affect BK kinetics attempting to relate these changes to those in native hair cells.