Stereocilia are imp房綠ortant structures found in the 音南inner ear that are involved in hea慢區ring and balanc亮窗e. Recently, scientists 草很at the Vollum Ins司微titute at the Oregon 見小Health and Science University we鄉睡re able to provide線哥 insight into the struc人生ture and conformations of 她森an important pr術麗otein involved in短場 these senses using公男 gold immunolabeling and cryo-el費員ectron microscopy.

Mechanosensory t學明ransduction is the p知個rocess by which mechani新身cal stimuli are converted 科下into electrical signals. Pro答火tocadherin 15 (PCDH15) is音著 an important protein involv為美ed in mechanosensory tr看訊ansduction that forms complexes with ot呢司her proteins on s道化tereocilia to transmit signals about he山西aring and balance. Until now, the struc要開ture and conformations of PCDH15 in 謝睡its native environment were not 唱現known.

Eric Gouaux and his team were able t場得o generate an antigen-制內binding fragment (Fab) t時姐argeting PCDH15 and c對就onjugate it to a gold nanopartic綠書le to facilitate the 理能labeling of PCDH15 in跳見 an unfixed and unstained e下暗nvironment. Overall, they wer光長e able to determine that PCDH城黑15 exists as a dimer, that there is 算司more than one copy of the PCDH15還線 complex per ster謝土eocilia, and that it tends to 美是exist in clusters. This影商 research provides insi票在ght into an important prote唱海in involved in heari計窗ng and experiencing the world around us身很.

The Oregon Health and Science Un外日iversity developed the Fab using p請從roducts and services prov妹司ided by VectorBuilder’s Vector Design S哥醫tudio. VectorBuild少笑er offers custom antibody vectors for expressing heavy ch厭有ain, light chain, and co-expre舞睡ssion of both heavy and light chain in 章暗mammalian and baculovirus expression systems劇商.  These vectors facilitate 什腦the generation of hi內做gh-quality and custo河村mized antibodies for your火電 research needs拍鐵.

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Source: Elferich eLife (資志https://elifescienc街習es.org/articles/74512)