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Muscle Contraction

Muscle Contraction

In skeletal muscles, acetylcholine is released by nerve terminals at the motor endplate—the point of synaptic communication between motor neurons and muscle fibers. The binding of acetylcholine to its receptors on the sarcolemma allows entry of sodium ions into the cell and triggers an action potential in the muscle cell. Thus, electrical signals from the brain are transmitted to the muscle. Subsequently, the enzyme acetylcholinesterase breaks down acetylcholine to prevent excessive muscle...

Muscle Contraction

Muscle Contraction

The Role of Actin and Myosin in Non-muscle Cells

The Role of Actin and Myosin in Non-muscle Cells

Actin and myosin or actomyosin filaments also play a significant role in cells other than those involved in muscle contraction (which occurs within the sarcomere of muscle cells). The mechanism of non-muscle cell contractile bundles was first observed in Dictyostelium and Acanthamoeba. In non-muscle cells, two bundles are commonly found: stress fibers and actomyosin adherence belts. These contractile bundles are smaller and less organized than the ones found in muscle cells. They are held...

Actin and Myosin in Muscle Contraction

Actin and Myosin in Muscle Contraction

Actin and myosin are contractile proteins that form the sarcomere found in skeletal muscle tissues for regulating muscle contraction. Actin, a globular contractile protein, interacts with myosin for muscle contraction. The skeletal tissue appears striped or striated under a microscope due to the repeated arrangement of contractile proteins actin and myosin along the length of myofibrils. Dark A bands and light I bands repeat along myofibrils, and the alignment of myofibrils in the cell causes...

Cross-bridge Cycle

Cross-bridge Cycle

As muscle contracts, the overlap between the thin and thick filaments increases, decreasing the length of the sarcomere—the contractile unit of the muscle—using energy in the form of ATP. At the molecular level, this is a cyclic, multistep process that involves binding and hydrolysis of ATP, and movement of actin by myosin.

Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscles

Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscles

Skeletal muscle cells, also called muscle fibers, are distinctly elongated, multi-nucleated, slender biological units. They are packed with specialized structures designed to facilitate their primary function, which is contraction.
The muscle sarcolemma is a plasma membrane enclosing each muscle cell that conducts electrical signals called action potentials. The sarcolemma extends into the cell to form T-tubules, ensuring the neural impulses are uniformly distributed across the entire muscle...

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Cardiac Muscle Cell-based Actuator and Self-stabilizing Biorobot - Part 2

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Published on: May 9, 2017

Controllable bio-microactuator powered by muscle cells.

Yoshitake Akiyama¹, Yuji Furukawa, Keisuke Morishima

¹Machine System Engineering Department, TokyoUniversity of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Japan.

Conference Proceedings : ... Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual Conference

|December 6, 2007

Summary

Researchers developed a novel bio-microactuator using cardiomyocytes for precise muscle cell control. Electrical stimulation effectively regulated C2C12 cell contractions, establishing a link between pulse frequency and cellular response.

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Area of Science:

Biomedical Engineering
Cellular Biology
Tissue Engineering

Background:

Development of autonomous bio-actuators is crucial for advanced biomedical applications.
Controlling cellular contraction using electrical stimulation offers potential for regenerative medicine and bio-hybrid devices.

Purpose of the Study:

To report a novel autonomous bio-microactuator powered by cardiomyocytes.
To investigate the electrical stimulation-induced contraction of skeletal muscle cells (C2C12).
To establish a relationship between electrical pulse frequency and C2C12 cell contraction.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of a PDMS bulb-shaped dispenser for cardiomyocyte adhesion.
Culturing and differentiation of C2C12 cells into myotubes.
Application of electrical stimulation to myotubes and digital analysis of contractions.

Main Results:

Cardiomyocyte-induced displacement of the PDMS dispenser exceeded previous reports.
Successful regulation of C2C12 myotube contractions via electrical stimulation.
Demonstrated correlation between electrical pulse frequency and the extent of myotube contraction.

Conclusions:

The novel cardiomyocyte-powered bio-microactuator shows significant displacement capabilities.
Electrical stimulation provides effective control over C2C12 muscle cell contractions.
This work lays the foundation for developing sophisticated bio-hybrid actuators and therapeutic strategies.