Abstract
DURING the development of a high resolution light diffractometer to study sarcomere dynamics, we have observed an unexpected feature of the pattern of sarcomere shortening. We report here that sarcomere shortening during contraction seems to occur in a series of successive bursts punctuated by short but well defined periods during which motion has virtually ceased. Furthermore, it seems that this stepwise pattern of shortening may occur synchronously over many contiguous sarcomeres.
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References
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POLLACK, G., IWAZUMI, T., TER KEURS, H. et al. Sarcomere shortening in striated muscle occurs in stepwise fashion. Nature 268, 757–759 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/268757a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/268757a0
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