Muscle assembly: a titanic achievement?
The formation of perfectly aligned myofibrils in striated muscle represents a dramatic example of supramolecular assembly in eukaryotic cells. Recently, considerable progress has been made in deciphering the roles that titin, the third most abundant protein in muscle, has in this process. An increasing number of sarcomeric proteins (ligands) are being identified that bind to specific titin domains. Titin may serve as a molecular blueprint for sarcomere assembly and turnover by specifying the precise position of its ligands within each half-sarcomere in addition to functioning as a molecular spring that maintains the structural integrity of the contracting myofibrils.
Departments of Cell Biology and Anatomy The University of Arizona 1501 North Campbell Avenue Tucson AZ 85724-5044 USA. gregorio@u.arizona.edu
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D000818:Animals; D064211:Connectin; D008024:Ligands; D008954:Models, Biological; D009024:Morphogenesis; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism; D009210:Myofibrils / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000378:metabolism; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000502:physiology*; D012518:Sarcomeres / Q000378:metabolism
D064211:Connectin; D008024:Ligands; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; C035620:nebulin; D011494:Protein Kinases