Myofibrillogenesis

Myofibrillogenesis has been studied extensively over the last 100 years. Until recently, we have not had a comprehensive understanding of this fundamental process. The emergence of new technologies in molecular and cellular biology, combined with classical embryology, have started to unravel some of the complexities of myofibril assembly in striated muscles. In striated muscles, the contractile proteins are arranged in a highly ordered three dimensional lattice known as the sarcomere. The assembly of a myofibril involves the precise ordering of several proteins into a linear array of sarcomeres. Multiple isoforms in many of these proteins further complicate the process, making it difficult to define the precise role of each component. This volume has been compiled as a comprehensive reference on myofibrillogenesis. In addition, the book includes reviews on myofibrillar disarray under various pathological conditions, such as familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC), and incorporates a section on the conduction system in the heart. Much of the information in this volume has not been described elsewhere. Presented in a manner to be of value to students and teachers alike, "Myofibrillogenesis" will be an invaluable reference source for all in the fields of muscle biology and heart development.

I: Assembly of Myofibrillar Proteins in Striated Muscle.- 1. Myofibrillogenesis in Cardiac Muscle.- 2. Dynamics of Contractile Proteins Constituting Myofibrils in Living Muscle Cells.- 3. Emergence of the First Myofibrils and Targeting Mechanisms Directing Sarcomere Assembly in Developing Cardiomyocytes.- 4. Tropomodulin: An Important Player in Cardiac Myofibrillogenesis.- II: Maintenance and Manipulation of Myofibrillar Organization.- 5. Maintaining the Fully Differentiated Cardiac Sarcomere.- 6. Manipulation of Myofibrillogenesis in Whole Hearts.- III: Regulation of Expression of Myofibrillar Proteins.- 7. Molecular Regulation of Cardiac Myofibrillogenesis: Roles of Serum Response Factor Nkx2-5, and GATA-4.- 8. Regulation and Organization of Human Troponin Genes.- 9. Signal Transduction in Myofibrillogenesis Cell Growth, and Hypertrophy.- 10. Cytoskeletal Gene Expression in the Developing Cardiac Conduction System.- IV: Heart Development and Myofibrillar Organization.- 11. Onset of a Cardiac Phenotype in the Early Embryo.- 12. Cellular Molecular, and Developmental Studies on Heart Development in Normal and Cardiac Mutant AxolotlsAmbystoma mexicanum.- V: Cardiomyopathy and Myofibrillar Organization.- 13. The Function of Normal and Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy—Associated Tropomyosin.- 14. Cardiomyopathies and Myofibril Abnormalities.