How hair cells hear: the molecular basis of hair-cell mechanotransduction.

Purpose Of Review: This review aims to summarize our current knowledge regarding mechanotransduction by hair cells and to highlight unresolved questions.

Recent Findings: Despite over a quarter of a century of electrophysiological data describing hair-cell mechanotransduction, the molecular basis of this process is just now being revealed. Recent work has begun to identify candidate transduction complex molecules, and current work is aimed at confirming these hypotheses and identifying other proteins important for hair-cell function.

Summary: Our senses of hearing and balance rely on the exquisite sensitivity of the hair cell and its transduction complex. Understanding the molecular basis for hair-cell mechanotransduction may provide us with the foundation for understanding the causes of, and perhaps the treatments for, auditory and vestibular deficits resulting from hair-cell dysfunction.