1 having cloned and sequenced the acetylcholine receptor in 1983. The sodium channel identification made a big splash in the field; Numa's publication has been cited in 895 publications.
So as a postdoc in the 1980s, Gillespie probably wasn't alone in his enthusiasm about the channel. He was young, curious, and had the notion that he would be able to identify, at a molecular level, exactly what comprised the channel. The hair cell mechanotransduction channel had just been proposed, in a 1983 paper.2 "All avenues were open. We talked about taking a genetic approach or trying to culture hair cells," Gillespie says.
Since that 1983 paper by Corey & Hudspeth (cited 250 times), reams of data have supported the channel's existence. But the narrative of the hair cell channel story diverges from that of other channels. Numerous channels have been characterized, purified, sequenced, and cloned in the years since the ...
