Complex nonlinear capacitance in outer hair cell macro-patches: effects of membrane tension

Outer hair cell (OHC) nonlinear capacitance (NLC) represents voltage sensor charge movements of prestin (SLC26a5), the protein responsible for OHC electromotility. Previous measures of NLC frequency response have employed methods which did not assess the influence of dielectric loss (sensor charge movements out of phase with voltage) that may occur, and such loss conceivably may influence prestin’s frequency dependent activity. Here we evaluate prestin’s complex capacitance out to 30 kHz and find that prestin’s frequency response determined using this approach coincides with all previous estimates. We also show that membrane tension has no effect on prestin’s frequency response, despite substantial shifts in its voltage operating range, indicating that prestin transition rate alterations do not account for the shifts. The magnitude roll-off of prestin activity across frequency surpasses the reductions of NLC caused by salicylate treatments that are known to abolish cochlear amplification. Such roll-off likely limits the effectiveness of prestin in contributing to cochlear amplification at the very high acoustic frequencies processed by some mammals.