Figure 2.

Models for prestin. (A) Organization of prestin/SLC26A5 in the membrane as a monomer. Two mobile components of the protein are placed in the membrane (Gorbunov et al. 2014; Geertsma et al. 2015), whereas the carboxy-terminal region, containing the sulfate transporter and anti-sigma factor antagonist (STAS) domain is cytoplasmic (Mio et al. 2008). (B) Hypothetical model for coassembly into a tetramer. The carboxy-terminal region (red) forms a base against which the oligomer can deform, rapidly shifting between a compact (cell depolarized) and an extended configuration (cell hyperpolarized).