| In addition to transducing sound-induced vibrations, the mechanosensory neurons that mediate hearing in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster generate motions that actively boost the sensitivity of the ear. Recent research shows that transduction and amplification in the flys auditory neurons are molecularly linked. Amplification requires the NompC (=TRPN) channel, which is also required for the direct mechanical gating of auditory transducers in the fly's antennal ear. The gain of amplification, in turn, depends on the Nan-Iav TRPV channel, which seems to adjust the ear's sensitivity by modulating NompC-dependent transduction. A biophysical model is presented that shows that the molecular modules for auditory transduction are sufficient to explain amplification in the Drosophila ear. |
|