Nature: Scientists are expected to shed light on the molecular mechanisms by which human hearing is formed

Scientists from institutions such as Oregon Health and Science University have revealed for the first time in near-atomic detail the structure
of a key part of the inner ear responsible for hearing.

The initial steps of the mammalian auditory and equilibrium sensory transduction pathways primarily involve gating mechanisms
that convert driving forces into mechanosensory transduction pathways.
Recently, in a research report published in the international journal Nature entitled "Structure of C.
elegans TMC-1 complex illuminates auditory mechanosensory transduction", scientists from Oregon Health and Science University and other institutions revealed for the first time the key part of the structure responsible for hearing in the inner ear in near-atomic detail
。

Researcher Eric Gouaux said: "This is the last specific sensory system whose basic molecular mechanism is still unknown, and scientists have not been able to describe in detail the molecular mechanisms
that carry out this absolutely amazing process for decades.
At present, researchers have analyzed the molecular processes and structures that enable the inner ear to convert vibrations into sound, the so-called mechanosensory transduction complex
, through years of painstaking research.

In the article, researchers used cryo-EM to reveal the structure, and the results may help develop new therapies to treat human hearing loss, which today affects the health of more than 460 million people worldwide, and the researchers discovered that the structure of the inner ear complex may convert vibrations into electrical impulses and from the brain into sound, a process called mechanosensory transduction, which is responsible for the body's balance and the sensation of sound
。

Scientists are expected to shed light on the molecular mechanisms by
which human hearing is formed.

Image source: Nature (2022).
DOI: 10.
1038/s41586-022-05314-8

The researchers took advantage of the fact that Caenorhabditis elegans possesses a mechanosensory complex similar to that of humans, and that solving the basic structure is the first step
.
Gouaux, the researcher, said that it is possible to compensate for these defects, and if a mutation can produce defects in the transduction channel that causes hearing loss, it is possible to design a molecule that fits that space and rescue the defect
.
Or it may mean that we can strengthen already weakened interactions
.

In both cases, hearing loss can be inherited through genetic mutations that subsequently alter the proteins that make up the mechanosensory transduction complex, or it can occur as a result of injury, including constant exposure to loud noises, and in both cases, the researchers' discovery may be the first to visualize the complex, which the field of auditory neuroscience research has been waiting for for decades, and researchers have now made significant progress
in this field of research.
The researchers solved this problem
by studying more than 6 million nematodes for 5 years and through careful cultivation and isolation techniques.

Researcher Dr.
Sarah Clark said: "We spent years optimizing the growth and protein isolation technology of nematodes, but we achieved surprising results
when we considered giving up.
In summary, the results of this study show that single particle creation techniques and molecular dynamics simulations reveal how mechanosensory transduction complexes deform bilayer membranes, and reveal the key role
of lipid-protein interactions in the mechanism of mechanical transduction to ion channel gating.
(Bio Valley Bioon.
com)

Original source:

Jeong, H.
, Clark, S.
, Goehring, A.
 et al.
 Structures of the TMC-1 complex illuminate mechanosensory transduction.
 Nature (2022).
doi：10.
1038/s41586-022-05314-8