Invited Review
Gene-Based Deafness Research: Ion Transport and Hearing
KATSUHISA IKEDA
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo 113-8431
The cochlea is a sensory organ that converts physical (sound) stimulation into electrical signals. This process is fundamentally and substantially based upon the ion transport system. Here, I summarize the physiological and molecular biological aspects of transporters, channels and receptors expressed in the cochlea. With reference to these findings, recent advances in genetic research on hereditary deafness are discussed.
keywords —— deafness; ion transport; hereditary deafness; DNA
© 2004 Tohoku University Medical Press
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2004, 202, 1-11
Address for reprints; Katsuhisa Ikeda, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8431, Japan.
e-mail: ike@med.juntendo.ac.jp