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Biophys. J. BioFAST: First Published March 11, 2005. doi:10.1529/biophysj.105.059782
© 2005 by the Biophysical Society.

A more recent version of this article appeared on May 1, 2005.
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BIOPHYSICAL LETTERS

How many states can the motor molecule, prestin, assume in an electric field?

Marc Philippe Scherer 1 and Anthony William Gummer 2*

1 University of Tübingen
2 University of Tübingen Section of Physiological Acoustics & Comm.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: anthony.gummer{at}uni-tuebingen.de.

Submitted on January 18, 2005
Revised on February 28, 2005
Accepted on 2 March 2005


  Abstract
By using an analogy between the magnetization of a paramagnetic material in an external magnetic field and the electric polarization of the lateral wall of outer hair cells in response to the transmembrane potential, we show that, based on experimental data on the charge transfer across the membrane, it is impossible to make a statement about the number of possible conformational states of the motor molecule, prestin. Although the choice of model affects the values of derived parameters, such as total charge and motor charge, this is frequently overlooked in the literature.

Key Words: Brillouin function, Langevin function, cochlea, electromotility, motor charge, outer hair cell




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Copyright © 2005 by the Biophysical Society.