Anion Control of Voltage Sensing by the Motor Protein Prestin in Outer Hair Cells

The outer hair cell from Corti's organ possesses voltage-dependent intramembranous molecular motors evolved from the SLC26 anion transporter family. The motor, identified as prestin (SLC26a5), is responsible for electromotility of outer hair cells and mammalian cochlear amplification, a process that heightens our auditory responsiveness. Here, we describe experiments designed to evaluate the effects of anions on the motor's voltage-sensor charge movement, focusing on prestin's voltage-dependent Boltzmann characteristics. We find that the nature of the anion, including species, valence, and structure, regulates characteristics of the charge movement, signifying that anions play a more complicated role than simple voltage sensing in cochlear amplification.