The role of water in the mechanism of muscular contraction.
Twenty-five years after its proposal, the swinging theory of muscular contraction, in which the majority of scientists in the field have blindly believed, has not yet been verified. Rapidly growing experimental evidence indicates that the myosin heads do not swing. It is time to look for an alternative mechanism. Data is presented indicating that water is liberated during tension development and the extent to which it is released appears to affect the degree of tension. Since water can move (because of acquired extra energy, involvement in hydration forces etc.), it might cause protein movement.
Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
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Oplatka
D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D008954:Models, Biological; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009218:Myosins / Q000378:metabolism; D013816:Thermodynamics; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
D000199:Actins; D014867:Water; D009218:Myosins