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Updated: Aug 22, 2025

Assessment of Myofilament Ca2+ Sensitivity Underlying Cardiac Excitation-contraction Coupling
Published on: August 1, 2016
Distinct Mechanisms for Increased Cardiac Contraction Through Selective Alteration of Either Myosin or Troponin
Rohit R Singh1,2, Rebecca E Slater1, Jinghong Wang1
1Amgen Research, Department of Cardiometabolic Disorders, Amgen, South San Francisco, California, USA.
Abstract:
Modulation of sarcomere contractility represents a new therapeutic opportunity for the treatment of heart failure by directly targeting the thick and thin filament proteins of the sarcomere to increase cardiac muscle contraction. This study compared the effect of 2 small molecules (M and T) that selectively alter myosin thick filament (M) or troponin thin filament (T) activity on overall cardiac muscle mechanics. This study revealed key differences related to the mechanism utilized by M and T to increase contractile force generation and suggests that targeting different proteins within the sarcomere may result in differentiating therapeutic profiles.
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