Elastic Filaments of the Cell

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-ix

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2. Elastic Filaments of The Cell

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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3. Elastic Filaments of the Cell

   1. Connecting Filaments: A Historical Prospective

      • Károly Trombitás

      Pages 1-23

   2. Connectin: From Regular to Giant Sizes of Sarcomeres

      • Koscak Maruyama, Sumiko Kimura

      Pages 25-33

   3. Molecular Tools for the Study of Titin’s Differential Expression

      • Thomas Centner, Francoise Fougerousse, Alexandra Freiburg, Christian Witt, Jacque S. Beckmann, Henk Granzier et al.

      Pages 35-52

   4. Sequence and Mechanical Implications of Titin’s PEVK Region

      • Marion L. Greaser, Seu-Mei Wang, Mustapha Berri, Paul Mozdziak, Yashiyuki Kumazawa

      Pages 53-66

   5. Probing the Functional Roles of Titin Ligands in Cardiac Myofibril Assembly and Maintenance

      • Abigail S. McElhinny, Siegfried Labeit, Carol C. Gregorio

      Pages 67-88

   6. Assembly of Myofibrils in Cardiac Muscle Cells

      • Joseph W. Sanger, Joseph C. Ayoob, Prokash Chowrashi, Daniel Zurawski, Jean M. Sanger

      Pages 89-110

4. Molecular Mechanism of Elasticity

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 111-111

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   2. Mechanical Manipulation of Single Titin Molecules with Laser Tweezers

      • Miklós S. Z. Kellermayer, Steven Smith, Carlos Bustamante, Henk L. Granzier

      Pages 111-128

   3. Unfolding Forces of Titin and Fibronectin Domains Directly Measured by AFM

      • Matthias Rief, Mathias Gautel, Hermann E. Gaub

      Pages 129-141

   4. Computer Modeling of Force-Induced Titin Domain Unfolding

      • Hui Lu, André Krammer, Barry Isralewitz, Viola Vogel, Klaus Schulten

      Pages 143-162

   5. Extensibility in the Titin Molecule and its Relation to Muscle Elasticity

      • Larissa Tskhovrebova, John Trinick

      Pages 163-178

   6. Titin Elasticity in the Context of the Sarcomere: Force and Extensibility Measurements on Single Myofibrils

      • Wolfgang A. Linke

      Pages 179-206

5. Titin-Like Proteins

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 207-207

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   2. Links in the Chain: The Contribution of Kettin to the Elasticity of Insect Muscles

      • Belinda Bullard, David Goulding, Charles Ferguson, Kevin Leonard

      Pages 207-220

   3. Titin as a Chromosomal Protein

      • Cristina Machado, Deborah J. Andrew

      Pages 221-236

   4. Role of the Elastic Protein Projectin in Stretch Activation and Work Output of Drosophila Flight Muscles

      • Jim O. Vigoreaux, Jeffrey R. Moore, David W. Maughan

      Pages 237-250

   5. Drosophila Projectin: A Look at Protein Structure and Sarcomeric Assembly

      • Agnes Ayme-Southgate, Richard Southgate, Michelle Kulp McEliece

      Pages 251-264

   6. Role of Titin in Nonmuscle and Smooth Muscle Cells

      • Thomas C. S. Keller III, Kenneth Eilertsen, Mark Higginbotham, Steven Kazmierski, Kyoung-Tae Kim, Michaella Velichkova

      Pages 265-281

Elastic filaments refer mainly to titin, the largest of all known proteins. Titin was discovered initially in muscle cells, where it interconnects the thick filament with the Z-line. Titin forms a molecular spring that is responsible for maintaining the structural integrity of contracting muscle, ensuring efficient muscle contraction. More recently, it has become clear that titin is not restricted to muscle cells alone. For example, titin is found in chromosomes of neurons and also in blood platelets. This topic is fast becoming a focal point for research in understanding viscoelastic properties at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels. In titin may lie a generic basis for biological viscoelasticity. It has become clear that titin may hold the key to certain clinical anomalies. For example, it is clear that titin-based ventricular stiffness is modulated by calcium and that titin is responsible for the altered stiffness in cardiomyopathies. It is also clear from evidence from a group of Finnish families that titin mutations may underlie some muscular dystrophies and that with other mutations chromatids fail to separate during mitosis. Thus, it is clear that this protein will have important clinical implications stemming from its biomechanical role. One aspect of this field is the bringing together of bioengineers with clinical researchers and biologists. Genetic and biochemical aspects of titin-related proteins are being studied together with front-line engineering approaches designed to measure the mechanics of titin either in small aggregates or in single molecules.

• Activation
• Calcium
• Drosophila
• cell
• chromosome
• mutation
• protein
• protein structure
• proteins
• tissue

• Washington State University, Pullman, USA

  Henk L. Granzier

• University of Washington, Seattle, USA

  Gerald H. Pollack

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