Visualization of cardiac muscle thin filaments and measurement of their lengths by electron tomography

Cardiovascular Research
Thomas BurgoynePradeep K Luther

Abstract

An intriguing difference between vertebrate skeletal and cardiac muscles is that the lengths of the thin filaments are constant in the former but variable in the latter. The thick filaments have constant lengths in both types of muscles. The contractile behaviour of a muscle is affected by the lengths of both types of filaments as the tension generated during contraction depends on the amount of filament overlap. To understand the behaviour of cardiac muscle, it is important to know the distribution of the thin filament lengths. The previous detailed analysis by Robinson and Winegrad used serial transverse sections to determine the lengths of the thin filaments. However, the precision, set by the 100 nm section thickness, was low. Here, we have used electron tomography to produce 3D images of rat and mouse cardiac muscles in which we can actually see individual thin filaments up to the free ends and see that these free ends have variable locations. For comparison, we also measure the thin filament lengths in skeletal muscle (frog sartorius). Cardiac papillary muscles were obtained from a rat (Sprague-Dawley) and a mouse (C57/B6). Skeletal muscle (sartorius) was obtained from a frog (Rana pipiens). Longitudinal sections (100 nm ...Continue Reading

References

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Citations

Jan 10, 2013·Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology·David S Gokhin, Velia M Fowler
Jan 15, 2008·Cardiovascular Research·R John Solaro, Pieter P de Tombe
Dec 1, 2010·FASEB Journal : Official Publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology·Siegfried LabeitHenk Granzier
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Nov 8, 2014·Journal of Muscle Research and Cell Motility·G J M Stienen
Jan 20, 2018·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Matthew T SwuliusGrant J Jensen
Oct 16, 2009·Journal of Muscle Research and Cell Motility·Pradeep K Luther
Apr 16, 2011·Journal of Biomolecular Screening·Sergey RakhilinDavid J Glass
Nov 20, 2016·The Journal of General Physiology·Srboljub M MijailovichMichael A Geeves
Apr 6, 2019·The Journal of General Physiology·Srboljub M MijailovichHenk L Granzier
Dec 5, 2018·The Journal of General Physiology·Marco CaremaniGabriella Piazzesi
Aug 17, 2020·Physical Review Letters·E VirotL Mahadevan
Nov 1, 2018·Physiological Reviews·Jolanda van der Velden, Ger J M Stienen
Dec 6, 2019·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Srboljub M MijailovichThomas C Irving

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
fluorescence microscopy
electron microscopy
electron tomography

Software Mentioned

ImageJ
Imod
Protomo

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