Skip to main content
Log in

Cryo-electron microscopic studies of relaxed striated muscle thick filaments

  • Papers
  • Published:
Journal of Muscle Research & Cell Motility Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Electron micrograph images of rapidly frozen suspensions of thick filaments from four different muscle types are presented. Their optical and computer transforms are compared with images and diffraction patterns of negatively stained filaments and with X-ray data from the same muscles. We conclude that myosin head arrangement can be preserved on rapid freezing and that the images produced can be analysed by image processing techniques to give new information on thick filament structure.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adrian, M., Dubochet, J. Lepault, J. &McDowall, A. W. (1984) Cryo-electron microscopy of viruses.Nature 308, 32–6.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, P., Craig, R., Starr, R. &Offer, G. (1986) The ultrastructural location of C-protein and H-protein in rabbit muscle.J. Musc. Res. Cell Motility 7, 550–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, M. L., Hofmann, W. &Wray, J. S. (1986) ATP Binding and crossbridge Structure in Muscle.J. molec. Biol. 191, 581–85.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dorset, D. L. &Parson, D. F. (1975) Electron diffraction from single, fully-hydrated ox-liver catalase microcrystals.Acta Cryst A31, 210–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dubochet, J. Adrian, M., Lepault, J. &McDowall, A. W. (1985) Cryo-electron microscopy of biological specimens.TIBS 10,143–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erickson, H. P. &Klug, A. (1971) Measurement and comparison of defocusing and aberration by Fourier processing of electron micrographs.Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London,Ser. B261, 105–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erickson, H. P., Veter, W. A. &Leonard, K. (1978) Image reconstruction in electron microscopy: enhancement of periodic structure by optical filtering.Methods in Enzymology ELIX, 39–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frank, J. (1973) The envelope of electron microscopic transfer functions for partially coherent illumination.Optik 38, 519–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fukami, A. &Adachi, K. (1963) A new method of preparation of self-perforated micro plastic grid and its application.J. elec. microscopy 14, 112–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glaeser, R. M. (1982) Electron Microscopy.Meth. Exp. Physics,20, 391–444.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanszen, K.-J. (1971) The optical transfer theory of the electron microscope: Fundamental principles and applications.Adv. Opt. Electron. Micros.,4,1–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huxley, H. E. (1967) Recent X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy studies of striated muscle.J. gen. Physiol.,50, 71–84.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Huxley, H. E. &Brown, W. (1967) The low-angle X-ray diagram of vertebrate striated muscle and its behaviour during contraction and rigor.J. Mol. Biol.,30, 383–434.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kensler, R. W. &Levine, R. J. C. (1982) An electron microscopic and optical diffraction analysis of the structure ofLimulus telson muscle thick filaments.J. Cell Biol. 92, 443–51.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Klug, A. &DeRosler, D. J. (1966) Optical filtering of electron micrographs: Reconstruction of one-sided images.Nature 212, 29–32.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Knight, P. &Trinick, J. (1984) Structure of the myosin projections on native thick filaments from vertebrate skeletal muscle.J. Mol. Biol. 177, 461–82.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McDowall, A., Hofmann, W., Lepault, J., Adrian, M. &Dubochet, J. (1984) Cryo-electron microscopy of vitrified insect muscle.J. Mol. Biol. 178, 105–111.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Menetret, J.-F., Hofmann, W. &Lepault, J. (1988) Cyro-electron microscopy of insect flight muscle thick filaments. An approach to dynamic electron microscope studies.J. Mol. Biol. 202, 175–78.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rapp, G., Poole, K. J. V., Maeda, Y., Kaplan, J. H., McCray, J. &Goody, R. S. (1989) Lasers and flashlamps in research on the mechanism of muscle contraction.Berichte der Bunsen Gesellschaft für physikalische Chemie,93, 410–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reedy, M. K., Holmes, K. C. &Tregear, R. T. (1965) Induced changes in orientation of cross-bridges of glycerinated insect flight muscle.Nature 207, 1276–80.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reedy, M. K., Leonard, K., Freeman, R. W. &Arad, T. (1981) Thick filament mass determination by electron scattering measurements with the scanning transmission electron microscope.J. Musc. Res. Cell Motility,2, 45–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reedy, M. C., Reedy, M. K. &Goody, R. S. (1983) Coordinated EM and X-ray studies of glycerinated insect flight muscle. II. Electron microscopy and image reconstruction of muscle fibres fixed rigor, in ATP and in AMPPNP.J. Musc. Res. Cell Motility,4, 55–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rome, E. (1972a) Relaxation of glycerinated muscle: Low angle X-ray diffraction studies.J. Mol. Biol.,65, 331–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rome, E. (1972b) Structural studies by X-ray diffraction of striated muscle permeated with certain ions and proteins.Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 37, 331–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, M. (1988) Computer image processing of electron micrographs of biological structures with helical symmetry.J Electron Microsc. Tech. 9, 325–58.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, M., Kensler, R. W. Levine, R. J. C. (1981) Structure ofLimulus telson muscle thick filaments.J. Mol. Biol.,153, 790–781.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, M., Kensler, R. W. &Levine, R. J. C. (1985) Three-dimensional reconstruction of thick filaments fromLimulus and Scorpion muscle.J. Cell. Biol.,101, 402–11.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, M. &Kensler, R. W. (1986) Arrangement of myosin heads in relaxed thick filaments from frog skeletal muscle.J. Mol. Biol.,192, 831–51.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, M. &Virges, G. (1986) Electron microscopy of frozen hydrated biological material.Nature 319, 631–36.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wakabayashi, T., Akiba, T., Hirose, K., Tomioka, A., Tokunaga, M., Suzuki, M., Toyoshiba, C., Sutoh, K., Yamamoto, K., Saeki, K. &Amemiya, Y. (1988) Temperature-induced change of thick filament and location of the functional sites of myosin. InMolecular mechanism of muscle contraction (edited bySugi, H. &Pollack, G. H.) pp. 39–46, Plenum, New York (1988).

    Google Scholar 

  • Wray, J. S. (1987) Structure of relaxed myosin filaments in relation to nucleotide state in vertebrate skeletal muscle.J. Mus. Res. Cell Motility,8, 62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wray, J. S., Vibert, P. J. &Cohen, C. (1974) Cross-bridge arrangements inLimulus muscle.J. Mol. Biol. 88, 343–48.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Menetret, J.F., Schröder, R.R. & Hofmann, W. Cryo-electron microscopic studies of relaxed striated muscle thick filaments. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 11, 1–11 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01833321

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01833321

Keywords

Navigation