sarcomeres

The sarcomere and the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex

Sarcomeres is the smallest contractile units of striated muscle. They are the most regular macromolecular assemblies in biology, with precisely assigned localizations for their constituent proteins.

They are complex multiple locations for several sarcomere proteins within the sarcomere and other cellular compartments such as the nucleus. Several of these proteins appear to relocalize in response to mechanical stimuli.

Types

- skeletal myocyte sarcomere
- cardiomyocyte sarcomere

Components

- thick filament

  • cardiac myosin binding protein C
  • regulatory and essential light chains
  • beta myosin heavy chain

- thin filament

  • troponin-I
  • troponin-T
  • tropomyosin
  • actin

Pathology

- sarcomeropathies

See also

- protein networks
- contractile machinery
- cell survival
- protein breakdown
- gene expression
- extracellular signaling

References

- Agarkova I, Perriard JC. The M-band: an elastic web that crosslinks thick filaments in the center of the sarcomere. Trends Cell Biol. 2005 Sep;15(9):477-85. PMID: 16061384

- Lange S, Ehler E, Gautel M. From A to Z and back? Multicompartment proteins in the sarcomere. Trends Cell Biol. 2006 Jan;16(1):11-8. PMID: 16337382

- Laing NG. Inherited disorders of sarcomeric proteins. Curr Opin Neurol. 1999 Oct;12(5):513-8. PMID: 10590887

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