Effect of Mechanical Properties of Outer Hair Cell Lateral Wall on Cell Motility

Abstract

Recent experiments have shown that the isolated outer hair cell (OHC) can elongate and contract in response to an electrical stimulation. In vivo, the OHC receptor potential in response to acoustic stimulation would drive OHC length changes, and it is estimated that the OHC motility exerts force on the basilar membrane. This OHC motility is suggested to be due to the deformation of the motor protein which distributes along the OHC lateral wall, and the mechanical properties of the OHC lateral wall and the distribution of the motor protein might affect the motility and force production of the OHC. In this stufy, in order to make the effects mentioned above clear, the OHC is modeled as a shell membrane, in which the conformational change of the motor protein is considered, and numerical calculations are carried out.