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Related Concept Videos

The Sarcomere01:08

The Sarcomere

A sarcomere is a microscopic segment repeating in a myofibril. The sarcomere fundamentally consists of two main myofilaments: thick filaments called myosin and thin filaments called actin. These filaments interact by sliding past each other in response to stimulus. In addition to myosin and actin, several other proteins, such as tropomyosin, troponin, titin, nebulin, myomesin, α-actinin, and dystrophin, play crucial roles in regulating, structuring, and functioning of the sarcomere.
Each myosin...
Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscles01:13

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...
Actin and Myosin in Muscle Contraction01:16

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...
Assembly of Cytoskeletal Filaments01:18

Assembly of Cytoskeletal Filaments

Cytoskeletal filaments are polymeric forms of smaller protein subunits. However, individual cytoskeletal filaments may easily disassemble or associate with other similar filaments to form rigid structures. Microfilaments, made of actin monomers, rely on actin-binding proteins to form bundles and create networks of individual actin filaments. Microtubules rely on microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) to form sturdy cylindrical structures. However, the proteins involved in forming complex...
Overview of Skeletal Muscle01:15

Overview of Skeletal Muscle

Skeletal muscles are composed of a bundle of muscle fibers and are attached to bones through tendons. Each skeletal muscle fiber is a single muscle cell. The sarcolemma, the plasma membrane of a skeletal muscle cell, consists of a lipid bilayer and glycocalyx that supports muscle fibers. The sarcolemma extends into the muscle cells to form tubular structures called transverse or T-tubules. Each side of the T-tubules consists of a membrane-bound structure called the sarcoplasmic reticulum,...
Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Skeletal Muscles01:20

Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Skeletal Muscles

Excitation-contraction coupling is a series of events that occur between generating an action potential and initiating a muscle contraction. It occurs at the triad, a structure found in skeletal muscle fibers that comprise a T-tubule and terminal cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum on each side. These triads are visible in longitudinally sectioned muscle fibers. They are typically located at the A-I junction — the junction between the A and I bands of the sarcomere.
When an action potential...

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Quantitative Approaches for Studying Cellular Structures and Organelle Morphology in Caenorhabditis elegans
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Published on: July 5, 2019

Sarcomere assembly in C. elegans muscle.

Donald G Moerman1, Benjamin D Williams

  • 1Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4. moerman@zoology.ubc.ca

Wormbook : the Online Review of C. Elegans Biology
|December 1, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Muscle sarcomere assembly in C. elegans involves attachments similar to vertebrate adhesion complexes. This study uses mutants to understand how these crucial attachments initiate and form, proposing a plasma membrane-initiated model.

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Methods to Assess Subcellular Compartments of Muscle in C. elegans
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Sarcomere Shortening of Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes using Fluorescent-Tagged Sarcomere Proteins.
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Sarcomere Shortening of Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes using Fluorescent-Tagged Sarcomere Proteins.

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Last Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Quantitative Approaches for Studying Cellular Structures and Organelle Morphology in Caenorhabditis elegans
08:47

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Published on: July 5, 2019

Methods to Assess Subcellular Compartments of Muscle in C. elegans
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Sarcomere Shortening of Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes using Fluorescent-Tagged Sarcomere Proteins.
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Area of Science:

  • * Molecular and Cellular Biology
  • * Developmental Biology
  • * Biochemistry

Background:

  • * Sarcomeres, the fundamental contractile units of muscle, require precise assembly of numerous proteins.
  • * Sarcomere attachments to the sarcolemma in *C. elegans* body wall muscle share structural similarities with vertebrate adhesion complexes.
  • * The initial steps and regulatory mechanisms governing the placement of these attachments and sarcomeric substructures remain largely undefined.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the initiation of sarcomere attachment assembly in *C. elegans*.
  • * To dissect the roles of various proteins and cellular compartments in this process.
  • * To develop a comprehensive model for sarcomere assembly starting at the plasma membrane.

Main Methods:

  • * Utilized genetic analysis of *C. elegans* mutants to identify key proteins and pathways involved in sarcomere assembly.
  • * Comparative structural analysis of sarcomere attachment complexes between *C. elegans* and vertebrates.
  • * Integration of existing knowledge with new findings to propose a mechanistic model.

Main Results:

  • * Identified specific *C. elegans* mutants that exhibit defects in sarcomere attachment formation.
  • * Demonstrated that sarcomere assembly initiation involves coordinated contributions from muscle, hypodermal, and extracellular matrix components.
  • * Provided evidence for a model where assembly begins at the plasma membrane.

Conclusions:

  • * Sarcomere assembly is a complex, multi-step process initiated at the plasma membrane.
  • * Proteins from muscle, hypodermis, and the extracellular matrix collaborate to establish correct sarcomere attachments.
  • * Understanding these mechanisms in *C. elegans* offers insights into fundamental muscle development conserved across species.