The Section on Structural Cell Biology uses advanced microscopy imaging in combination with cell biology techniques to study cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie mechano-transduction in auditory and vestibular sensory organs.

The auditory and vestibular sensory organs are highly structured and miniaturized devices optimized for sensitivity and speed of response. In these sensory organs, the hair cells are the receptors containing the key mechanoelectrical transduction elements that convert mechanical stimuli into electrical signals. These transduction elements rely on energy exchanges at rates too rapid to involve enzymatic intermediates and are believed to involve direct interactions in protein assemblies driven solely by mechanical energy.

The two main current projects of the Section are: 1) identification and characterization of proteins involved in the mechanosensory transduction apparatus in auditory and vestibular hair cells; and 2) elucidation of the structural and molecular basis of electromotility, a voltage-dependent force-generating mechanism present in cochlear outer hair cells. This mechanism is thought to be responsible for the extraordinary sensitivity of the mammalian ear. Current research also includes the study of permeability barriers in the inner ear focusing on the molecular basis of permeability of the tight junctions of the organ of Corti and the stria vascularis. These junctions support the voltage and potassium concentration gradients that define the endocochlear potential, a critical condition for mechanoelectrical transduction by the hair cells.