Visualization of dynamic simulations of muscle thin filaments

Following a novel computational formalism, the thin filament of muscle can be modeled by a computational machine containing a large number of finite automata that have one-to-one correspondence with the constituent protein molecules.¹ Computer graphics can be used to visualize the correspondence between the states of finite automata and the configurations of protein molecules according to the structural data. The dynamic simulation of the muscle filament that corresponds to the concurrent state transitions of finite automata can be represented as a sequence of video images. The kinetic and structural knowledge of individual protein molecules is, therefore, integrated into a coherent and functional system. This type of computation and visualization can also be useful for the investigation of molecular structure, function, and interaction in various complex biological systems.