Structural analysis of muscle development: transverse tubules, sarcoplasmic reticulum, and the triad. |
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Authors: | B E Flucher |
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Affiliation: | Laboratory of Neurobiology, NINDS, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892. |
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Abstract: | Increased interest in the mechanism of excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling over the last few years has been accompanied by numerous investigations into the development of the underlying cellular structures. Areas of particular interest include: (1) the compartmentalization and specialization of an external and an internal membrane system, the T-tubules, and the sarcoplasmic reticulum, respectively; (2) interactions between the membrane proteins of both systems upon the formation of a junction, the triad; and (3) membrane-cytoskeletal interactions leading to the orderly arrangement of the triads with respect to the myofibrils. Structural studies using newly available specific molecular probes and a variety of in vivo and in vitro model systems have provided new insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the development of the E-C coupling apparatus in skeletal muscle. |
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