A Novel Striated Membrane Contact Site in Vestibular Hair Cells
Abstract
The mammalian vestibular system has two types of sensory receptor hair cells (HCs), each with different neurotransmission mechanisms. Type II HCs use ribbon synapses to transmit neurotransmitters like glutamate to bouton terminals of afferent neurons. Type I HCs are nearly engulfed by a calyceal afferent ending. They regulate afferent activity through both quantal and non‐quantal transmission (NQT), the latter faster than classic neurotransmitter release and potentially key to stabilizing vision and balance during rapid head movements. Here, we describe a novel striated contact, present only in the mouse type I HC and its calyceal afferent ending. Electron tomography reveals periodic striations on both the HC and calyx plasma membranes. These contact sites are intimately associated with a plasma membrane mitochondria contact site on the type I HC side of the synapse. Given that mitochondrion–plasma membrane contact sites in other systems regulate local ion homeostasis, this distinctive arrangement has the potential to serve or modulate NQT at the type I HC–calyx synapse.
Related
- HRS dephosphorylation at membrane contact sites promotes sorting within multivesicular endosomes
- TM6SF2 acts at ER membrane contact sites to enable RAB7-dependent endolysosomal VLDL secretion and maintain Golgi structure
- Selectivity and dynamics of VAP family tether exchange across membrane contact sites
- VAP organizes presynaptic Ca2+ signaling and synaptic vesicle mobilization through Kv2 membrane contact sites
- Lipid traffic: an enigmatic alliance between ORPs and a TMEM16-like protein at membrane contact sites
BibTeX
@article{brouilly2026novel,
title = {{A Novel Striated Membrane Contact Site in Vestibular Hair Cells}},
author = {Nicolas Brouilly and Nathalie Pujol and Fabrice Richard and Chantal Cazevieille and Jennifer Stone and Ruth Anne Eatock and Rémy Pujol},
journal = {Biology of the Cell},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1111/boc.70082},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05787204v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A Novel Striated Membrane Contact Site in Vestibular Hair Cells
AU - Nicolas Brouilly
AU - Nathalie Pujol
AU - Fabrice Richard
AU - Chantal Cazevieille
AU - Jennifer Stone
AU - Ruth Anne Eatock
AU - Rémy Pujol
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/29
JO - Biology of the Cell
DO - 10.1111/boc.70082
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05787204v1
AB - The mammalian vestibular system has two types of sensory receptor hair cells (HCs), each with different neurotransmission mechanisms. Type II HCs use ribbon synapses to transmit neurotransmitters like glutamate to bouton terminals of afferent neurons. Type I HCs are nearly engulfed by a calyceal afferent ending. They regulate afferent activity through both quantal and non‐quantal transmission (NQT), the latter faster than classic neurotransmitter release and potentially key to stabilizing vision and balance during rapid head movements. Here, we describe a novel striated contact, present only in the mouse type I HC and its calyceal afferent ending. Electron tomography reveals periodic striations on both the HC and calyx plasma membranes. These contact sites are intimately associated with a plasma membrane mitochondria contact site on the type I HC side of the synapse. Given that mitochondrion–plasma membrane contact sites in other systems regulate local ion homeostasis, this distinctive arrangement has the potential to serve or modulate NQT at the type I HC–calyx synapse.
SN - 0248-4900
SN - 1768-322X
ER -