Frontiers | Stiffening of Circumferential F-Actin Bands Correlates With Regenerative Failure and May Act as a Biomechanical Brake in the Mammalian Inner Ear
The loss of inner ear hair cells causes permanent hearing and balance deficits in humans and other mammals, but nonmammals recover after supporting cells (SCs) divide and replace hair cells. The proliferative capacity of mammalian SCs declines as exceptionally thick circumferential F-actin bands develop at their adherens junctions. We hypothesized that the reinforced junctions were limiting regenerative responses of mammalian SCs by impeding changes in cell shape and epithelial tension. Using micropipette aspiration and atomic force microscopy, we measured mechanical properties of utricles fro...
Source: frontiersin.org