TRPA1 activation in non-sensory supporting cells contributes to regulation of cochlear sensitivity after acoustic trauma.

TRPA1 channels are expressed in nociceptive neurons, where they detect noxious stimuli, and in the mammalian cochlea, where their function is unknown. Here we show that TRPA1 activation in the supporting non-sensory Hensen's cells of the mouse cochlea causes prolonged Ca responses, which propagate across the organ of Corti and cause long-lasting contractions of pillar and Deiters' cells. Caged Ca experiments demonstrated that, similar to Deiters' cells, pillar cells also possess Ca-dependent contractile machinery.