For decades, scientists have explored the mechanisms by which vertebrates perceive sound and regulate balance. Recently, an article was published in Nature entitled Structures of the TMC-1 complex illuminate mechanosensory transduction.
Using cryo-electron microscopy, Dr. Eric Gouaux, senior scientist at Oregon Health and Science University and investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and his colleagues have revealed the structure of a key part of the inner ear responsible for hearing and balance, deciphering the process by which the inner ear converts vibrations into sound. The discovery is expected to point the way for the treatment of the 460 million hearing-impaired people around the world.
In this research, SunyBiotech was entrusted to make gene-editing in C. elegans, so that the TMC-1 protein was labeled with a fluorescent protein for detection. The strain was named PHX2173 tmc-1(syb2173).
