Turnover and activity-dependent transcriptional control of NompC in the Drosophila ear

• DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102486
• Publication Date: 2021-04-29T03:03:38Z
• Authors: Nicholas Boyd-Gib...; Camille H. Tardieu; Modesta Blunskyte; Nerissa Kirkwood; Jason Somers; Joerg T. Albert
• Keywords: Homeostasis

Across their lives, biological sensors maintain near-constant functional outputs despite countless exogenous and endogenous perturbations. This sensory homeostasis is the product of multiple dynamic equilibria, breakdown which contributes to age-related decline. The mechanisms homeostatic maintenance, however, are still poorly understood. ears vertebrates insects characterized by exquisite sensitivities but also marked vulnerabilities. Being under permanent load thermal acoustic noise, auditory transducer channels exemplify challenge. We show that (1) NompC-dependent mechanotransducers in ear fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster undergo continual replacement with estimated turnover times 9.1 hr; (2) a de novo synthesis NompC can restore function adult congenitally hearing-impaired flies; (3) key components transduction chain, including NompC, activity-dependent transcriptional control, likely forming transducer-operated mechanosensory gain control system extends beyond hearing organs.