The Sliding-Filament Theory of Muscle Contraction

Descripción

Description

• This book is the first to provide a unified description of the mathematics of muscle contraction
• It provides a synthesis of theory and experiment in a field which has been driven to maturity by experimental discoveries
• An ideal introduction to those who want to learn the intricacies of myosin motors

About this Book

Understanding the molecular mechanism of muscle contraction started with the discovery that striated muscle is composed of interdigitating filaments which slide against each other. Sliding filaments and the working-stroke mechanism provide the framework for individual myosin motors to act in parallel, generating tension and loaded shortening with an efficient use of chemical energy. Our knowledge of this exquisitely structured molecular machine has exploded in the last four decades, thanks to a bewildering array of techniques for studying intact muscle, muscle fibres, myofibrils and single myosin molecules.

After reviewing the mechanical and biochemical background, this monograph shows how old and new experimental discoveries can be modelled, interpreted and incorporated into a coherent mathematical theory of contractility at the molecular level. The theory is applied to steady-state and transient phenomena in muscle fibres, wing-beat oscillations in insect flight muscle, motility assays and single-molecule experiments with optical trapping. Such a synthesis addresses major issues, most notably whether a single myosin motor is driven by a working stroke or a ratchet mechanism, how the working stroke is coupled to phosphate release, and whether one cycle of attachment is driven by the hydrolysis of one molecule of ATP. Ways in which the theory can be extended are explored in appendices.

A separate theory is required for the cooperative regulation of muscle by calcium via tropomyosin and troponin on actin filaments. The book reviews the evolution of models for actin-based regulation, culminating in a model motivated by cryo-EM studies where tropomyosin protomers are linked to form a continuous flexible chain. It also explores muscle behaviour as a function of calcium level, including emergent phenomena such as spontaneous oscillatory contractions and direct myosin regulation by its regulatory light chains. Contraction models can be extended to all levels of calcium-activation by embedding them in a cooperative theory of thin-filament regulation, and a method for achieving this grand synthesis is proposed.

Dr. David Aitchison Smith is a theoretical physicist with thirty years of research experience in modelling muscle contractility, in collaboration with experimental groups in different laboratories.

Table of Contents (8 Chapters)

Front Matter

Introduction

Of Sliding Filaments and Swinging Lever-Arms

Actin-Myosin Biochemistry and Structure

Models of Fully-Activated Muscle

Transients, Stability and Oscillations

Myosin Motors

Models of Thin-Filament Regulation

Cooperative Muscular Activation by Calcium

Back Matter

Keywords 

• Muscle
• Contractions
• Motility
• Regulation
• Sliding filaments

Authors and Affiliations

• Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Microbiology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

  David Aitchison Smith

Bibliographic Information

• Book Format: eBook, PDF file

• Book Title: The Sliding-Filament Theory of Muscle Contraction
• Authors: David Aitchison Smith
• DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03526-6
• Publisher: Springer
• Copyright Information: Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
• eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-03526-6
• Published: 05 February 2019
• Edition Number: 1
• Number of Pages: 433 pages
• Number of Illustrations: 106 b/w illustrations, 58 illustrations in colour
• Topics: Human Physiology, Molecular Medicine, Cell Physiology

Payment methods:

If you visit us from Chile:

You can pay in Chilean Pesos (CLP) through Flow, or Webpay.

*If you have a balance in your Paypal account, you can pay through Paypal as well, but you must change the currency (in the product’s currency exchanger, to American Dollars or Euros).

If you visit us from abroad (any country in the world except Chile):

You can pay in American Dollars (USD), or Euros (EUR), through PayPal. For this you must change the currency (in the currency exchanger of the product, to American Dollars, or Euros, depending on the currency of your choice).

Medios de Pago: 

Si nos visitas desde Chile:

Puedes pagar en Pesos Chilenos (CLP) mediante Flow, o Webpay.

*Si tienes saldo en tu cuenta Paypal, puedes pagar mediante Paypal también, pero debes cambiar la divisa (en el cambiador de divisas del producto, a Dólares Americanos, o Euros).

Si nos visitas desde el Extranjero (cualquier país del mundo a excepción de Chile):

Puedes pagar en Dólares Americanos (USD), o Euros (EUR), mediante Paypal. Para esto debes cambiar la divisa (en el cambiador de divisas del producto, a Dólares Americanos, o Euros, según la divisa de tu elección).