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Studies of Sarcomere Length by Optical Diffraction

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Cell and Muscle Motility

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Abstract

Over the past few years, there has been an explosive increase in the use of optical diffraction as a tool for studying the function of skeletal muscle. The usefulness of this technique lies in the fact that it can provide an effectively instantaneous measurement of the length of the basic contractile unit of skeletal muscle fibers, the sarcomere. The importance of the measurement is that sarcomere length is a major determinant of the functional properties of skeletal-muscle cells. Optical-diffraction data can therefore identify a given sarcomere length and provide insight into the dynamic properties of sarcomeres and can be used to assess the validity of models of the mechanism of contraction. These data may also show how different populations of sarcomeres interact with each other, information that is of potential importance in both normal and diseased states of striated muscle.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, 78284, USA

    Roger McCarter

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  1. Roger McCarter
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Texas Health Science Center, Dallas, Texas, USA

    Robert M. Dowben  & Jerry W. Shay  & 

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© 1981 Plenum Press, New York

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McCarter, R. (1981). Studies of Sarcomere Length by Optical Diffraction. In: Dowben, R.M., Shay, J.W. (eds) Cell and Muscle Motility. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-8196-9_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-8196-9_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-8198-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-8196-9

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