The Progress of Studies on Prestin Protein of Cochlear Outer Hair Cells

The outer hair cells of the mammalian cochlea can rapidly alters its length and stiffness. In response to changes in membrane potential. This electromotility assumed to be driven by molecular motors produce amplification of vibrations in the cochlea, Prestin, which is specifically expressed in outer hair cells, recently has been identified and proposed as this molecular motor. in this article, we particularly introduced the structural and functional characteristics of prestin studied in recent years.