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Specification of auditory sensitivity by Drosophila TRP channels

Abstract

Ears achieve their exquisite sensitivity by means of mechanical feedback: motile mechanosensory cells through their active motion boost the mechanical input from the ear. Examination of the auditory mechanics in Drosophila melanogaster mutants shows that the transient receptor potential (TRP) channel NompC is required to promote this feedback, whereas the TRP vanilloid (TRPV) channels Nan and Iav serve to control the feedback gain. The combined function of these channels specifies the sensitivity of the fly auditory organ.

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Figure 1: Nonlinear amplification.
Figure 2: Self-sustained oscillations.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M.J. Kernan (Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York) and Y.-D. Chung (University of Seoul, Seoul, Korea) for providing nan and iav mutants and controls, and R.G. Walker (Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon) for providing nompC mutants and controls. This work was supported by the Volkswagen Foundation (grant I 79 147 to M.C.G.). A.K. is supported by the Japanese Cell Science Research Foundation and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

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Correspondence to Martin C Göpfert.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Fig. 1

Frequency-specific amplification. (PDF 546 kb)

Supplementary Fig. 2

Absence of nonlinear amplification in nompC3 mutants. (PDF 628 kb)

Supplementary Fig. 3

Model of TRP function in the Drosophila ear. (PDF 560 kb)

Supplementary Methods (PDF 130 kb)

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Göpfert, M., Albert, J., Nadrowski, B. et al. Specification of auditory sensitivity by Drosophila TRP channels. Nat Neurosci 9, 999–1000 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1735

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