Nature: For the first time, details of key parts of the inner ear responsible for hearing have been revealed in near-atomic detail

For the first time, scientists at Oregon Health and Science University have revealed in near-atomic detail the structure
of key parts of the inner ear responsible for hearing.

"This is the last sensory system whose fundamental molecular mechanism is still unknown," said senior author Dr.
Eric Gouaux, a senior scientist at the OHSU Vollum Institute and a researcher
at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
"The molecular mechanisms that enable this amazing process have not been addressed
for decades.
"

Now, after years of painstaking research, researchers have tease out this structure by isolating the inner ear's process of converting vibrations into sound, the mechanosensory transduction complex, and have come to this discovery
.

The study, which sheds light on this structure through cryo-electron microscopy, is published in
the journal Nature.
These findings could point the way to the development of new treatments for hearing impairment, which affects more than 460 million people
worldwide.

This discovery reveals the structure of the inner ear complex, which converts vibrations into electrical impulses and the brain converts them into sound
.
This process is called mechasensory transduction and is responsible for balance and the sensation of
sound.

The scientists took advantage of the fact that the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans possesses a mechanosensory complex very similar to humans
.

According to Gouaux, solving the basic structure is the first step
.

"This immediately suggests a mechanism
that might cover these deficits," Gouaux said.
If the mutation causes defects in the transduction channel, leading to hearing loss, it is possible to design a molecule that fits that space and repair the defect
.
Or it could mean we can strengthen interactions that have already been
weakened.
”

Hearing loss can be inherited
through genetic mutations that alter the mechanosensory transduction complex protein.
It can also be caused by injury, including constant exposure to
loud noises.
In either case, the OHSU researchers' findings give scientists their first glimpse of this complex structure
.

The discovery is a remarkable achievement, said
a neuroscience research leader at OHSU who was not directly involved in the study.

"The field of auditory neuroscience has been waiting for these results for decades, and now they are here — we are ecstatic," said Dr.
Peter Barr-Gillespie, a research scientist at OHSU and national leader in
hearing research.
"The results of this paper immediately suggest new avenues of research and will therefore breathe life
into the field for years to come.
"

Barr-Gillespie also serves as OHSU's Chief Research Officer and Executive Vice President
.

The researchers solved this problem
in nearly 5 years through meticulous culture and isolation techniques, involving 60 million worms.

Dr.
Sarah Clark, a postdoc in Gouaux's lab and co-first author, wrote in a research brief published in Nature: "We spent several years optimizing worm growth and protein isolation methods, and there were many 'nadir' moments when we considered giving up
.
"