Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of skeletal muscle and muscle proteins

NMR spectroscopy has widely been used as an important tool for the study of metabolism and the intracellular environment of various tissues. As the method is non-invasive, spectra can be recorded from living functioning tissues and their transient changes associated with activity analyzed. NMR is also a powerful technique to study the conformation of proteins and changes associated with their interaction with other molecules, which provide the structural basis for the physiological role of intracellular proteins. This review presents a brief theory of NMR and the applications of NMR to the physiological study of skeletal muscles, energy metabolism, intracellular environments including intracellular water and their changes with contraction. Also included is the application of NMR to the study of the conformation of muscle proteins, actin, myosin and Ca(2+)-binding proteins.