Using noncontact AFM frequency shifts to determine stereocilia bundle stiffness and tension in the developing cochlear sensory epithelium

Abstract

Measurement of frequency shifts of cantilevers having an attached microsphere oscillating at acoustic frequencies can be used to assess mechanical properties of cochlear structures. The method has already been reported for measuring elastic and viscous properties of the tectorial membrane. We describe here how the method can be used to examine other cochlear structures. Theory and formulas for relating hair bundle stiffness and tension in the developing cochlear sensory epithelium to measured frequency shifts are given to estimate the expected frequency shifts and show feasibility of the measurements. We show through a molecular model of myosin II located along the edges of confluent hexagons that myosin contractile forces are balanced by isotropic tension in the developing confluent sheet of cells.