Structural Foundations of Prestin Electromotility: A Mechanical Perspective for Hearing Restoration

Prestin nanomotor is a membrane protein and a key component of the electromotility apparatus in the outer hair cells of the mammalian cochlea. Functioning as a nanoscale motor, it converts electrical signals into mechanical displacement. To evaluate the structural integrity and mechanical resilience of this protein from biophysical and mechanical perspectives, three molecular configurations were investigated using SMD simulations: ligand-free prestin (native state), prestin in complex with the chloride ion (Cl⁻), and prestin bound to the inhibitory ligand salicylate. Within this framework, tensile loading was applied to probe mechanically induced perturbations that are broadly comparable to the types of mechanical stimuli experienced by biological systems in vivo, and the resulting mechanical response of the structure was quantitatively assessed. These findings can assist researchers in identifying novel strategies to enhance prestin performance and to mitigate hearing-loss–related damage.

کلیدواژه ها:

Prestin ، nanomotor ، molecular dynamics ، SMD ، protein