Figure 1
Bioinspiration: architecture and principles of mechanotransduction of the ciliary bundles in nature.
(a) Morphology of saccular hair bundles in the bullfrog. In this organ, each bundle consists of approximately 60 stereocilia arranged into 8 rows with heights varying from 4–8 μm. (b) Schematic illustrating the deflection of a column of stereocilia during stimulation. Deflection of the hair bundle causes a shear between successive rows of stereocilia causing the tip links to tighten. (c) A transmission electron micrograph showing the tip link between two adjacent stereocilia. (d) Tension induced in the tip link opens ion channels. Scale bars: a = 3 μm; c = 1 μm.
