Proteins long known to be essential for hearing have been hiding a talent: they also act as gatekeepers that shuffle fatty ...

Researchers at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders have identified a previously unknown mechanism that destroys the sensory hair cells of the inner ear, a discovery ...

Cell membranes protect and organize cells. All cells have an outer plasma membrane that regulates not only what enters the cell, but also how much of any given substance comes in. Unlike prokaryotes, ...

Scientists have uncovered new details about how cells manage the distribution of lipids in their cell membrane. These lipids, known as phospholipids, are arranged in a bilayer of membranes, regulating ...

A surprising new function of essential hearing proteins may explain why some genetic mutations and common antibiotics lead to permanent deafness.

The human body is a dynamic place. Blood pumps, spinal fluid flows, oxygen comes in and carbon dioxide goes out. Deeper still, charged molecules pass through cell walls, quietly keeping the body's ...

Lipid bilayers in mammalian membranes can have a more asymmetric composition than previously thought, new research shows. This lipid abundance asymmetry is enabled by the unique properties of ...