Muscle Physiology Lab | NES | College of Health and Human Sciences

Muscle Physiology

Long-Term Research Goals

The long term goal of the Muscle Physiology Laboratory is to better understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying muscle contraction, particularly as they apply to functional plasticity and muscle fatigue. Our present approach utilizes an in vitro preparation to quantify the mechanical properties of a single skinned (permeabilized) muscle fiber segment and subsequent SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining to identify the specific protein isoforms present in the cell. By varying the methods used to prepare and study the fiber segment, we are able to investigate cellular and molecular aspects of excitation-contraction coupling, thin filament activation, and actomyosin cross-bridge interactions. The strength of this approach is that these processes of contraction are studied in an intact myofilament lattice of known protein isoform composition under well defined and rigorously controlled experimental conditions.

We are currently using the techniques described above to address the following research questions:

The intracellular milieu of a muscle cell is altered after prolonged and/or exhaustive exercise. How do these changes affect the steps involved in muscle contraction and contribute to fatigue?
Chronic changes in physical activity, such as exercise training or muscle disuse from inactivity or disease, have well-defined effects on intact muscle function. What is the cellular and molecular basis for these functional changes?
A large number of physiological processes scale with body mass. What is the relationship between muscle function and body size or mass?

Laboratory Techniques, Equipment, and Space

The Muscle Physiology Laboratory occupies 410 square feet and is equipped with a fume hood, Barnstead/Thermolyne NANOpure water purification system, analytical balance, pH meter, microcentrifuge, refrigerator, and -20°C and -80°C freezers. The core of the laboratory is a custom designed system for analyzing the mechanical properties of skinned muscle cells. The system is build around an Olympus IX-70 inverted microscope and consists of a temperature controlled stainless steel dip-plate, an Aurora Scientific model 300 force transducer and model 300B high speed position motor, three-axis micro-positioners, a Positron Development servo-controller and differential amplifier, and a Nicolet digital storage oscilloscope.The entire system is mechanically isolated on a TMC anti-vibration table. Custom software, developed in our laboratory using LabVIEW graphical programming language (National Instruments), coordinates data collection and analysis via a National Instruments I/O board. Equipment supporting the functional experiments includes a Wild M8 stereomicroscope for fiber dissection and isolation, and a complete gel electrophoresis system, consisting of two LKB vertical plate systems, an LKB power supply, and a dedicated circulating water bath.


	Limit results to this site.		Health and Human Sciences » Nutrition and Exercise Sciences » Research » Muscle Physiology. Muscle Physiology Long-Term Research Goals The long term goal of the Muscle Physiology Laboratory is to better understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying muscle contraction, particularly as they apply to functional plasticity and muscle fatigue. Our present approach utilizes an in vitro preparation to quantify the mechanical properties of a single skinned (permeabilized) muscle fiber segment and subsequent SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining to identify the specific protein isoforms present in the cell. By varying the methods used to prepare and study the fiber segment, we are able to investigate cellular and molecular aspects of excitation-contraction coupling, thin filament activation, and actomyosin cross-bridge interactions. The strength of this approach is that these processes of contraction are studied in an intact myofilament lattice of known protein isoform composition under well defined and rigorously controlled experimental conditions. We are currently using the techniques described above to address the following research questions: The intracellular milieu of a muscle cell is altered after prolonged and/or exhaustive exercise. How do these changes affect the steps involved in muscle contraction and contribute to fatigue? Chronic changes in physical activity, such as exercise training or muscle disuse from inactivity or disease, have well-defined effects on intact muscle function. What is the cellular and molecular basis for these functional changes? A large number of physiological processes scale with body mass. What is the relationship between muscle function and body size or mass? Laboratory Techniques, Equipment, and Space The Muscle Physiology Laboratory occupies 410 square feet and is equipped with a fume hood, Barnstead/Thermolyne NANOpure water purification system, analytical balance, pH meter, microcentrifuge, refrigerator, and -20°C and -80°C freezers. The core of the laboratory is a custom designed system for analyzing the mechanical properties of skinned muscle cells. The system is build around an Olympus IX-70 inverted microscope and consists of a temperature controlled stainless steel dip-plate, an Aurora Scientific model 300 force transducer and model 300B high speed position motor, three-axis micro-positioners, a Positron Development servo-controller and differential amplifier, and a Nicolet digital storage oscilloscope.The entire system is mechanically isolated on a TMC anti-vibration table. Custom software, developed in our laboratory using LabVIEW graphical programming language (National Instruments), coordinates data collection and analysis via a National Instruments I/O board. Equipment supporting the functional experiments includes a Wild M8 stereomicroscope for fiber dissection and isolation, and a complete gel electrophoresis system, consisting of two LKB vertical plate systems, an LKB power supply, and a dedicated circulating water bath.