The kinesin, dynein, and myosin superfamily molecular motors have fundamental roles in
neuronal function, plasticity, morphogenesis, and survival by transporting cargos such as …

Many cell phenomena that involve shape changes are affected by the intrinsic deformability
of the plasma membrane (PM). Far from being a passive participant, the PM is now known to …

The thrifty phenotype hypothesis proposes that the epidemiological associations between
poor fetal and infant growth and the subsequent development of type 2 diabetes and the …

Uniquely among human senses, hearing is not simply a passive response to stimulation.
Our auditory system is instead enhanced by an active process in cochlear hair cells that …

Sensory transduction in auditory and vestibular hair cells requires expression of
transmembrane channel-like (Tmc) 1 and 2 genes, but the function of these genes is …

Hearing sensitivity in mammals is enhanced by more than 40 dB (that is, 100-fold) by
mechanical amplification thought to be generated by one class of cochlear sensory cells, the …

Much is known about the mechanotransducer (MT) channels mediating transduction in hair
cells of the vertrbrate inner ear. With the use of isolated preparations, it is experimentally …

Mechanotransduction, the transformation of mechanical force into an electrical signal, allows
living organisms to hear, register movement and gravity, detect touch, and sense changes in …

Although microRNAs (miRNAs) provide a newly recognized level of regulation of gene
expression, the miRNA transcriptome of the retina and the contributions of miRNAs to retinal …

Mechanosensitive ion channels are gated directly by physical stimuli and transduce these
stimuli into electrical signals. Several criteria must apply for a channel to be considered …