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Related Concept Videos

The Role of Actin and Myosin in Non-muscle Cells01:10

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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...
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Formation of Muscle Fibers from Myoblasts01:13

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De novo myogenesis, or the formation of muscle fibers, begins during the early embryonic stages. The skeletal muscle is formed from somites– blocks of embryonic cell layers. The somites are further divided into dermatomes, myotomes, sclerotomes, and syndetomes. Among these, the myotomes give rise to muscle fibers.
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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...
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Smooth muscle contraction is a complex process vital for various bodily functions, from maintaining blood vessel tension to facilitating the movement of food through the digestive tract. Unlike striated muscles, smooth muscle contraction begins more slowly and lasts longer.
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Classification of Skeletal Muscle Fibers01:48

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Skeletal muscles continuously produce ATP to provide the energy that enables muscle contractions. Skeletal muscle fibers can be categorized into three types based on differences in their contraction speed and how they produce ATP, as well as physical differences related to these factors. Most human muscles contain all three muscle fiber types, albeit in varying proportions.
Slow-Twitch Muscle Fibers
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Fascicle Arrangement in Skeletal Muscles01:25

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Fascicles are bundles of muscle fibers in a skeletal muscle. Muscle fascicle arrangement is directly associated with the power and range of motion of various muscles. The configuration of these fascicles can vary, leading to different functional outcomes.
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On the Three-Dimensional Correlation Between Myofibroblast Shape and Contraction.

Alex Khang1, Emma Lejeune2, Ali Abbaspour1

  • 1James T. Willerson Center for Cardiovascular Modeling and Simulation, The Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712; Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712.

Journal of Biomechanical Engineering
|April 20, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Myofibroblast cell shape in 3D environments is linked to contraction. Aortic valve interstitial cell shape reflects anisotropic contraction, driven by internal stress fibers.

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Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Cell Biology
  • Tissue Engineering

Background:

  • Myofibroblasts are crucial for wound healing and tissue repair.
  • Cellular phenotypic transitions involve increased extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and altered protein expression.
  • Cell shape is a critical biophysical state indicator, influencing stress-fiber function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between myofibroblast shape and basal tonus in 3D environments.
  • To understand how cell shape relates to contraction in aortic valve interstitial cells (AVICs).

Main Methods:

  • AVICs were embedded in 3D poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels.
  • Hydrogels contained degradable peptide crosslinkers and adhesive peptide sequences.
  • Submicron fluorescent microspheres tracked local displacement fields to analyze cell shape and contraction.

Main Results:

  • A methodology was developed to correlate AVIC shape with basal tonus-induced contraction.
  • A volume-averaged stretch tensor revealed anisotropic contraction (eigenvalues 1.08, 0.99, 0.89).
  • Maximum contraction direction aligned with the longest axis of the cell's bounding ellipsoid.

Conclusions:

  • Quiescent AVIC shape in 3D hydrogels is influenced by directional stress-fiber structure.
  • Cell shape is a significant indicator of underlying contractile forces and biophysical state.