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Lateral transmission of force is impaired in skeletal muscles of dystrophic mice and very old rats
Author(s) -
Ramaswamy Krishnan S.,
Palmer Mark L.,
van der Meulen Jack H.,
Renoux Abigail,
Kostrominova Tatiana Y.,
Michele Daniel E.,
Faulkner John A.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the journal of physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.802
H-Index - 240
eISSN - 1469-7793
pISSN - 0022-3751
DOI - 10.1113/jphysiol.2010.201921
Subject(s) - sarcomere , anatomy , contraction (grammar) , muscle contraction , biology , myocyte , endocrinology
Non‐technical summary The force developed by a single fibre in frog muscles is transmitted laterally to the muscle surface with little or no loss. To demonstrate this phenomenon in mammals, a ‘yoke’ apparatus was developed that attached to the surface of whole, parallel‐fibred muscles and permitted measurements of the lateral transmission of forces. We then demonstrated that for wild‐type mice and rats longitudinal and lateral transmission of forces in muscles were not different. In contrast, for skeletal muscles of dystrophic mice and very old rats, in which the dystrophin‐associated glycoprotein complex (DGC) of fibres was disrupted, the forces transmitted laterally were impaired severely. We conclude that during contractions of skeletal muscles, an intact DGC is essential for the lateral transmission of force and disruptions of the DGC lead to sarcomere instability and contraction‐induced injury.