Investigating the mechanisms controlling contraction in the first skeletal muscle displaying intrinsic pace maker properties

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Even when removed from the body, the human heart will continue to beat (contract). However, in contrast, when a normal muscle is taken out of the body, it will not contract unless externally stimulated in some manner (e.g. electrical stimulation). We have recently found a very special skeletal muscle that goes against this central biological principle. This muscle is called the lymph heart and it beats even though it is not linked to any nerves. We want to carry out research to understand what allows this muscle to contract when it should not really be able to do so. In particular, we want to look at the molecules that allow it to make its own electrical signal and find out how this electrical signal spreads across the muscle to enable contraction and so to function as a pump. We believe that this muscle represents an intermediate form of tissue that shows features of both heart and muscle. At present we know very little about this muscle and investigations into the working of this tissue will be of great interest and use to scientists studying both of these tissues. We believe that a strong basic understanding of this tissue, may enable us and others to engineer muscle into self-contracting tissues like the heart, thereby opening new avenues for developing treatment in heart and muscular diseases.