Membrane Cholesterol Strongly Influences Confined Diffusion of Prestin

Prestin is the membrane motor protein that drives outer hair cell (OHC) electromotility, a process that is essential for mammalian hearing. Prestin function is sensitive to membrane cholesterol levels, and numerous studies have suggested that prestin localizes in cholesterol-rich membrane microdomains. Previously, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments were performed in HEK cells expressing prestin-GFP after cholesterol manipulations, and revealed evidence of transient confinement. To further characterize this apparent confined diffusion of prestin, we conjugated prestin to a photostable fluorophore (tetramethylrhodamine) and performed single-molecule fluorescence microscopy. Using single-particle tracking, we determined the microscopic diffusion coefficient from the full time course of the mean-squared deviation. Our results indicate that prestin undergoes diffusion in confinement regions, and that depletion of membrane cholesterol increases confinement size and decreases confinement strength. By interpreting the data in terms of a mathematical model of hop-diffusion, we quantified these cholesterol-induced changes in membrane organization. A complementary analysis of the distribution of squared displacements confirmed that cholesterol depletion reduces prestin confinement. These findings support the hypothesis that prestin function is intimately linked to membrane organization, and further promote a regulatory role for cholesterol in OHC and auditory function

In vitro and In vivo Models for the Reconstruction of Intercellular Signaling a ,

A critical need in both tissue-engineering applications and basic cell culture studies is the development of synthetic extracellular matrices (ECMs) and experimental systems that reconstitute three-dimensional cell-cell interactions and control tissue formation in vitro and in vivo . We have fabricated synthetic ECMs in the form of fiber-based fabrics, highly porous sponges, and hydrogels from biodegradable polymers ( e.g. , polyglycolic acid) and tested their ability to regulate tissue formation. Both cell seeding onto these synthetic ECMs and subsequent culture conditions can be varied to control initial cell-cell interactions and subsequent cell growth and tissue development. Three-dimensional tissues composed of cells of interest, matrix produced by these cells, and the synthetic ECM (until it degrades) can be created with these systems. For example, smooth muscle cells can be grown on polyglycolic acid fiber-based synthetic ECMs to produce tissues with cell densities in excess of 10 8 cells/mL. These tissues contain extensive elastin and collagen, and the smooth muscle cells within the tissue express the contractile phenotype ( e.g. , Α-actin staining). Similar approaches can be used to grow a number of other tissues ( e.g. , dental pulp) that resemble the native tissue. These engineered tissues may provide novel experimental systems to study the role of three-dimensional intercellular signaling in tissue development and may also find clinical application as replacements to lost or damaged tissues.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73277/1/j.1749-6632.1998.tb09647.x.pd