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Cover picture: Scanning electron micrograph (top) and immunofluorescence image (bottom) showing the three rows of outer hair cells (OHCs) of the organ of Corti. In response to changes in membrane potential, the cylindrical cell body of the outer hair cells rapidly changes length, a phenomenon called electromotility. These length changes are assumed to produce amplification of vibrations in the cochlea. The molecular mechanism for electromotility is based on voltage-dependent conformational changes of putative "motor proteins" densely packed in the lateral plasma membrane. Recently, two membrane proteins, GLUT-5 and prestin, have been proposed as candidates for the OHC motor. New evidence using antibodies specific for these two proteins shows that only prestin is exclusively expressed in time and space in the lateral plasma membrane of the OHCs (bottom panel) because it is expected for the motor protein for electromotility. For details, see the Rapid Communication (RC116) by Belyantseva et al. at http://www.jneurosci.org/rapidcomm.shtml.