Muscle Contractility and Cell Motility

Muscle contractility and cell motility play a vital role in various physiological and pathological processes, ranging from animal locomotion to cardiovascular function to myopathies and heart failure. Actin-activated myosin II motors power muscle contraction and non-muscle-cell motility. Actin-myosin-derived contractility has been most extensively studied in striated muscle (skeletal and cardiac muscles), but it is also the foundation for smooth muscle contraction and non-muscle-cell motility. Recent advances in biology and medicine have significantly enriched our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying muscle contractility and cell motility.