Figure 1. Role of TMC1 in Hair-Cell Mechanotransduction.
Shown is a cochlear inner hair cell with a stereocilia bundle on its apical surface. When the stereocilia bundle is deflected by sound, the mechanotransduction channels are opened, which leads to depolarization of the hair-cell membrane. The protein transmembrane channel-like 1 (TMC1) is an integral component of the mechanotransduction channel complex.