scholarly journals A mechanical model of the half-sarcomere which includes the contribution of titin

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pertici ◽  
M. Caremani ◽  
M. Reconditi

ABSTRACTThe evidence, in both resting and active muscle, for the presence of an I-band spring element like titin that anchors the Z line to the end of the thick filament did not yet produce a proper theoretical treatment in a complete model of the half-sarcomere. The textbook model developed by A.F. Huxley and his collaborators in 1981, which provides that the half-sarcomere compliance is due to the contribution of the compliances of the thin and thick filaments and actin-attached myosin motors, predicts that at any sarcomere length the absence of attached motors results in an infinite half-sarcomere compliance, in contrast with the observations. Growing evidence for the presence of a titin-like I-band spring urges the 1981 model to be implemented to include the contribution of this element in the mechanical model of the half-sarcomere. The model described here represents a tool for the interpretation of measurements of half-sarcomere compliance at long sarcomere lengths and for investigations of the possible role of titin as the mechano-sensor in thick filament regulation.

2021 ◽  
Vol 153 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimo Reconditi ◽  
Elisabetta Brunello ◽  
Luca Fusi ◽  
Marco Linari ◽  
Vincenzo Lombardi ◽  
...  

The myosin motors in resting skeletal muscle are folded back against their tails in the thick filament in a conformation that makes them unavailable for binding to actin. When muscles are activated, calcium binding to troponin leads to a rapid change in the structure of the actin-containing thin filaments that uncovers the myosin binding sites on actin. Almost as quickly, myosin motors leave the folded state and move away from the surface of the thick filament. To test whether motor unfolding is triggered by the availability of nearby actin binding sites, we measured changes in the x-ray reflections that report motor conformation when muscles are activated at longer sarcomere length, so that part of the thick filaments no longer overlaps with thin filaments. We found that the intensity of the M3 reflection from the axial repeat of the motors along the thick filaments declines almost linearly with increasing sarcomere length up to 2.8 µm, as expected if motors in the nonoverlap zone had left the folded state and become relatively disordered. In a recent article in JGP, Squire and Knupp challenged this interpretation of the data. We show here that their analysis is based on an incorrect assumption about how the interference subpeaks of the M3 reflection were reported in our previous paper. We extend previous models of mass distribution along the filaments to show that the sarcomere length dependence of the M3 reflection is consistent with <10% of no-overlap motors remaining in the folded conformation during active contraction, confirming our previous conclusion that unfolding of myosin motors on muscle activation is not due to the availability of local actin binding sites.


2021 ◽  
Vol 129 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei Methawasin ◽  
Gerrie P Farman ◽  
Shawtarohgn Granzier-Nakajima ◽  
Joshua G Strom ◽  
John E Smith ◽  
...  

Titin’s C-zone is the inextensible part of titin that binds along the thick filament at its cMyBP-C -containing region. Previously it was shown that deletion of titin’s super-repeats C1 and C2 ( Ttn ΔC1-2 mouse model) results in shorter thick filaments and contractile dysfunction, but LV chamber stiffness is normal. Here we studied the contraction-relaxation kinetics from the time-varying elastance of the left ventricle (LV) and from cellular work loops of intact loaded cardiac myocytes. Ca 2+ transients were also measured as well as crossbridge cycling kinetics and Ca 2+ sensitivity of force. It was found that intact cardiomyocytes of Ttn ΔC1-2 mice exhibit systolic dysfunction and impaired relaxation. The time-varying elastance of the LV chamber showed that the kinetics of LV activation are normal but that relaxation is slower in Ttn ΔC1-2 mice. The slowed relaxation was, in part, attributable to an increased myofilament Ca 2+ sensitivity and slower early Ca 2+ reuptake. Dynamic stiffness at the myofilament level showed that cross-bridge kinetics are normal, but that the number of force-generating cross-bridges is reduced. In vivo sarcomere length (SL) measurements in the mid-wall region of the LV revealed that the operating SL range is shifted in Ttn ΔC1-2 mice towards shorter lengths. This normalizes the apparent cell and LV chamber stiffness but reduces the number of force generating cross-bridges due to suboptimal thin and thick filament overlap. Thus the contractile dysfunction in Ttn ΔC1-2 mice is not only due to shorter thick filaments but also to a reduced operating sarcomere length range. Overall these results reveal that for normal cardiac function, thick filament length regulation by titin’s C-zone is critical.


2018 ◽  
Vol 151 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Caremani ◽  
Francesca Pinzauti ◽  
Joseph D. Powers ◽  
Serena Governali ◽  
Theyencheri Narayanan ◽  
...  

When striated (skeletal and cardiac) muscle is in its relaxed state, myosin motors are packed in helical tracks on the surface of the thick filament, folded toward the center of the sarcomere, and unable to bind actin or hydrolyze ATP (OFF state). This raises the question of whatthe mechanism is that integrates the Ca2+-dependent thin filament activation, making myosin heads available for interaction with actin. Here we test the interdependency of the thin and thick filament regulatory mechanisms in intact trabeculae from the rat heart. We record the x-ray diffraction signals that mark the state of the thick filament during inotropic interventions (increase in sarcomere length from 1.95 to 2.25 µm and addition of 10−7 M isoprenaline), which potentiate the twitch force developed by an electrically paced trabecula by up to twofold. During diastole, none of the signals related to the OFF state of the thick filament are significantly affected by these interventions, except the intensity of both myosin-binding protein C– and troponin-related meridional reflections, which reduce by 20% in the presence of isoprenaline. These results indicate that recruitment of myosin motors from their OFF state occurs independently and downstream from thin filament activation. This is in agreement with the recently discovered mechanism based on thick filament mechanosensing in which the number of motors available for interaction with actin rapidly adapts to the stress on the thick filament and thus to the loading conditions of the contraction. The gain of this positive feedback may be modulated by both sarcomere length and the degree of phosphorylation of myosin-binding protein C.


2021 ◽  
Vol 154 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Craig ◽  
Raúl Padrón

Super-relaxation is a state of muscle thick filaments in which ATP turnover by myosin is much slower than that of myosin II in solution. This inhibited state, in equilibrium with a faster (relaxed) state, is ubiquitous and thought to be fundamental to muscle function, acting as a mechanism for switching off energy-consuming myosin motors when they are not being used. The structural basis of super-relaxation is usually taken to be a motif formed by myosin in which the two heads interact with each other and with the proximal tail forming an interacting-heads motif, which switches the heads off. However, recent studies show that even isolated myosin heads can exhibit this slow rate. Here, we review the role of head interactions in creating the super-relaxed state and show how increased numbers of interactions in thick filaments underlie the high levels of super-relaxation found in intact muscle. We suggest how a third, even more inhibited, state of myosin (a hyper-relaxed state) seen in certain species results from additional interactions involving the heads. We speculate on the relationship between animal lifestyle and level of super-relaxation in different species and on the mechanism of formation of the super-relaxed state. We also review how super-relaxed thick filaments are activated and how the super-relaxed state is modulated in healthy and diseased muscles.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li-Yen R. Hu ◽  
Maegen A. Ackermann ◽  
Aikaterini Kontrogianni-Konstantopoulos

The sarcomeric M-region anchors thick filaments and withstands the mechanical stress of contractions by deformation, thus enabling distribution of physiological forces along the length of thick filaments. While the role of the M-region in supporting myofibrillar structure and contractility is well established, its role in mediating additional cellular processes has only recently started to emerge. As such, M-region is the hub of key protein players contributing to cytoskeletal remodeling, signal transduction, mechanosensing, metabolism, and proteasomal degradation. Mutations in genes encoding M-region related proteins lead to development of severe and lethal cardiac and skeletal myopathies affecting mankind. Herein, we describe the main cellular processes taking place at the M-region, other than thick filament assembly, and discuss human myopathies associated with mutant or truncated M-region proteins.


1982 ◽  
Vol 242 (3) ◽  
pp. R394-R400
Author(s):  
S. Davidheiser ◽  
R. E. Davies

Phosphorylargnine utilization (delta PArg) was determined in isolated Limulus telson muscle during isometric and isovelocity contractions at long, intermediate, and short lengths when thick filaments were either long and staggered, long and aligned, or shortened. Muscles developed 30% of maximum force at a length of 0.5 Lo (Lo 7 micrometers sarcomere length) during isometric tetani of 5, 15, and 30 s; however, the rate of delta PArg was the same in both the 0.5 Lo and Lo groups. External force and delta PArg were both less during isometric tetani at lengths of 1.7 and 2.0 Lo compared with the values at Lo, as expected due to a reduction in thick-thin filament overlap. However, at lengths of 0.6 and 0.3 Lo delta PArg was the same as at Lo despite a decrease in external isometric tension. No significant delta PArg was measured when telson muscles shortened rapidly (0.8 Vmax) at long or short lengths indicating the thick filament shortening per se required little, if any, energy expenditure. The overall chemical efficiency of telson muscles for performing external work during slow isovelocity contractions was 31% in groups shortening equivalent distances (0.5 Lo) from starting lengths of 1.6 and 1.3 Lo and 15% in the group shortening from 1.1 Lo.


Author(s):  
D. A. Fischman ◽  
J. E. Dennis ◽  
T. Obinata ◽  
H. Takano-Ohmuro

C-protein is a 150 kDa protein found within the A bands of all vertebrate cross-striated muscles. By immunoelectron microscopy, it has been demonstrated that C-protein is distributed along a series of 7-9 transverse stripes in the medial, cross-bridge bearing zone of each A band. This zone is now termed the C-zone of the sarcomere. Interest in this protein has been sparked by its striking distribution in the sarcomere: the transverse repeat between C-protein stripes is 43 nm, almost exactly 3 times the 14.3 nm axial repeat of myosin cross-bridges along the thick filaments. The precise packing of C-protein in the thick filament is still unknown. It is the only sarcomeric protein which binds to both myosin and actin, and the actin-binding is Ca-sensitive. In cardiac and slow, but not fast, skeletal muscles C-protein is phosphorylated. Amino acid composition suggests a protein of little or no αhelical content. Variant forms (isoforms) of C-protein have been identified in cardiac, slow and embryonic muscles.


Author(s):  
Lars A. A. Beex ◽  
Ron H. J. Peerlings

Laminated paperboard is used as a packaging material for a wide range of products. During production of the packaging, the fold lines are first defined in a so-called creasing (or scoring) operation in order to obtain uncracked folds. During creasing as well as folding, cracking of the board is to be avoided. A mechanical model for a single fold line has been proposed in a previous study (Beex & Peerlings 2009 Int. J. Solids Struct. 46 , 4192–4207) to investigate the general mechanics of creasing and folding, as well as which precise mechanisms trigger the breaking of the top layer. In the present study, we employ this modelling to study the influence of delamination on creasing and folding. The results reveal the separate role of the cohesive zone model and the friction model in the description of delamination. They also show how the amount of delamination behaviour should be controlled to obtain the desired high folding stiffness without breaking of the top layer.


1994 ◽  
Vol 107 (5) ◽  
pp. 1115-1129 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Ferguson ◽  
A. Lakey ◽  
A. Hutchings ◽  
G.W. Butcher ◽  
K.R. Leonard ◽  
...  

Asynchronous insect flight muscles produce oscillatory contractions and can contract at high frequency because they are activated by stretch as well as by Ca2+. Stretch activation depends on the high stiffness of the fibres and the regular structure of the filament lattice. Cytoskeletal proteins may be important in stabilising the lattice. Two proteins, zeelin 1 (35 kDa) and zeelin 2 (23 kDa), have been isolated from the cytoskeletal fraction of Lethocerus flight muscle. Both zeelins have multiple isoforms of the same molecular mass and different charge. Zeelin 1 forms micelles and zeelin 2 forms filaments when renatured in low ionic strength solutions. Filaments of zeelin 2 are ribbons 10 nm wide and 3 nm thick. The position of zeelins in fibres from Lethocerus flight and leg muscle was determined by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy. Zeelin 1 is found in flight and leg fibres and zeelin 2 only in flight fibres. In flight myofibrils, both zeelins are in discrete regions of the A-band in each half sarcomere. Zeelin 1 is across the whole A-band in leg myofibrils. Zeelins are not in the Z-disc, as was thought previously, but migrate to the Z-disc in glycerinated fibres. Zeelins are associated with thick filaments and analysis of oblique sections showed that zeelin 1 is closer to the filament shaft than zeelin 2. The antibody labelling pattern is consistent with zeelin molecules associated with myosin near the end of the rod region. Alternatively, the position of zeelins may be determined by other A-band proteins. There are about 2.0 to 2.5 moles of myosin per mole of each zeelin. The function of these cytoskeletal proteins may be to maintain the ordered structure of the thick filament.


2001 ◽  
Vol 90 (5) ◽  
pp. 1811-1816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuo-Hsing Kuo ◽  
Lu Wang ◽  
Peter D. Paré ◽  
Lincoln E. Ford ◽  
Chun Y. Seow

Airway smooth muscle adapts to different lengths with functional changes that suggest plastic alterations in the filament lattice. To look for structural changes that might be associated with this plasticity, we studied the relationship between isometric force generation and myosin thick filament density in cell cross sections, measured by electron microscope, after length oscillations applied to the relaxed porcine trachealis muscle. Muscles were stimulated regularly for 12 s every 5 min. Between two stimulations, the muscles were submitted to repeated passive ±30% length changes. This caused tetanic force and thick-filament density to fall by 21 and 27%, respectively. However, in subsequent tetani, both force and filament density recovered to preoscillation levels. These findings indicate that thick filaments in airway smooth muscle are labile, depolymerization of the myosin filaments can be induced by mechanical strain, and repolymerization of the thick filaments underlies force recovery after the oscillation. This thick-filament lability would greatly facilitate plastic changes of lattice length and explain why airway smooth muscle is able to function over a large length range.


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