Researchers at the University of Kentucky and the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Medicine have isolated a mechanism necessary for stabilizing hair cells in the ear, according to an article in UKnow.  The research was published online in eLife on March 28.

According to the article, the researchers blocked channels that normally allow ions to enter the hair cell during sound transmission, which caused the hair cells to retract depending on the calcium influx.

To read the entire article, visit the UKnow website here.

Original Paper: Vélez-Ortega AC, Freeman MJ, Indzhykulian AA, Grossheim JM, Frolenkov GI. Mechanotransduction current is essential for stability of the transducing stereocilia in mammalian auditory hair cells. eLife. 2017. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24661

Source: UKnow, eLife