Mechanosensitive Piezo channels and their potential roles in peripheral auditory perception

Abstract

Hearing sound and responding to external and internal mechanical stimuli requires specific proteins as mechanotransducers that convert mechanical forces into biological signals. However, our understanding of the mechanotransduction process in the inner ear is still incomplete. Mechanically activated ion channels, PIEZO1 and PIEZO2, are widely distributed throughout the body and play essential roles. Recent studies have discovered that Piezo channels are expressed in inner ear hair cells, suggesting their potential involvement in auditory perception. This review summarizes the existing discoveries about the Piezo channels, including their structure, mechanogating mechanisms, and general physiological roles, explicitly focusing on Piezo channels in the auditory systems. Piezo channels play roles in ultrasound perception, generation of anomalous current, hair cell development, and potentially in the normal mechanoelectrical transduction process of hair cells. Collectively, this review aims to provide a new perspective on the Piezo channel and its potential roles in auditory perception.