spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif Propose a workshop for 2011 spacer gif
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


spacer gif
     Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents    

First published online 26 May 2009
doi: 10.1242/jcs.046805

Journal of Cell Science 122, 2119-2126 (2009)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2009
This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Supplementary Material
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
jcs.046805v1
122/12/2119    most recent
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Skwarek-Maruszewska, A.
Right arrow Articles by Lappalainen, P.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Skwarek-Maruszewska, A.
Right arrow Articles by Lappalainen, P.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Research Article

Contractility-dependent actin dynamics in cardiomyocyte sarcomeres

Aneta Skwarek-Maruszewska, Pirta Hotulainen, Pieta K. Mattila and Pekka Lappalainen*

Institute of Biotechnology, PO Box 56, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland

* Author for correspondence (e-mail: pekka.lappalainen{at}helsinki.fi)

Accepted 3 March 2009

In contrast to the highly dynamic actin cytoskeleton in non-muscle cells, actin filaments in muscle sarcomeres are thought to be relatively stable and undergo dynamics only at their ends. However, many proteins that promote rapid actin dynamics are also expressed in striated muscles. We show that a subset of actin filaments in cardiomyocyte sarcomeres displays rapid turnover. Importantly, we found that turnover of these filaments depends on contractility of the cardiomyocytes. Studies using an actin-polymerization inhibitor suggest that the pool of dynamic actin filaments is composed of filaments that do not contribute to contractility. Furthermore, we provide evidence that ADF/cofilins, together with myosin-induced contractility, are required to disassemble non-productive filaments in developing cardiomyocytes. These data indicate that an excess of actin filaments is produced during sarcomere assembly, and that contractility is applied to recognize non-productive filaments that are subsequently destined for depolymerization. Consequently, contractility-induced actin dynamics plays an important role in sarcomere maturation.

Key words: ADF/cofilin, Actin, Contractility, Dynamics, Sarcomere


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?




© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2009