What's new in ion transports in the cochlea?

Recent advances in the field of the physiology of inner ear fluids permitted the characterization of the molecular mechanisms involved in critical processes such as the absorption of K(+) through cochlear sensory hair cells (mechanoelectrical transduction) or the secretion of K(+) by marginal cells of the stria vascularis. In addition, new pathways for ion circulations were evidenced. Mutations of transporters involved in some of these pathways, especially in K(+) recycling through gap junction systems, and in local pH regulation, are among the most frequent etiologies of genetic deafness in humans.