| Fred
Schachat, Cell
Biology
This laboratory focuses on the molecular mechanism
of skeletal muscle physiology. Our specific foci are
- the mechanism by which troponin effects the cooperative
activation of contraction by calcium,
- the contributions of a novel extraocular mysoin
to the rapid contraction of extraocular muscle,
and
- the role of the calcium reuptake system in muscles
of special senses.
Investigations on skeletal muscle activation concentrate
on analyzing the effects of troponin C[calmodulin] chimeras
on the calcium activation. These studies indicate that
the troponin C (TnC) central helix is essential for
cooperative activation and that calcium binding domain
II and the central helix are essential for calcium dependent
activation.
Two projects are open to new trainees:
- design and express new chimeras to investigate
the contribution of interactions between the N-terminal
helix and divalent metal ion binding domain III
of TnC to activation, or
- use phage display libraries to study interactions
between the troponin subunits that are critical
to activation.
Studies on the extraocular muscle myosin have mapped
the gene and trainees interested in this project can
explore the physiological properties of this myosin
or study the mechanisms that regulate its developmental
and physiological expression. Because the efficacy of
the calcium reuptake system appears to be critical to
the function of muscles of special senses (extraocular
muscle, middle ear muscles) and speech (the vocalis
muscle), a trainee interested in these specializaed
physiological systems can investigate the mechanisms
that control the differential expression of sarcoplasmic
reticulum proteins and the details of calcium dynamics
in these muscles.
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