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Science 8 January 1999:
Vol. 283. no. 5399, pp. 215 - 217
DOI: 10.1126/science.283.5399.215
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Reports

A Molecular Mechanism for Electrical Tuning of Cochlear Hair Cells

Krishnan Ramanathan, Timothy H. Michael, Guo-Jian Jiang, Hakim Hiel, Paul A. Fuchs *

Cochlear frequency selectivity in lower vertebrates arises in part from electrical tuning intrinsic to the sensory hair cells. The resonant frequency is determined largely by the gating kinetics of calcium-activated potassium (BK) channels encoded by the slo gene. Alternative splicing of slo from chick cochlea generated kinetically distinct BK channels. Combination with accessory beta subunits slowed the gating kinetics of alpha  splice variants but preserved relative differences between them. In situ hybridization showed that the beta  subunit is preferentially expressed by low-frequency (apical) hair cells in the avian cochlea. Interaction of beta  with alpha  splice variants could provide the kinetic range needed for electrical tuning of cochlear hair cells.

K. Ramanathan, Center for Hearing Sciences, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. T. H. Michael, G.-J. Jiang, H. Hiel, Center for Hearing Sciences, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (HNS), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. P. A. Fuchs, Center for Hearing Sciences, Departments of Otolaryngology-HNS and Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: pfuchs{at}bme.jhu.edu

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