CORE--CONTRACTILITY

骨骼肌的收缩能力被定义为肌肉中收缩蛋白相互作用并产生力量的能力。所有的身体动作都依赖于骨骼肌的收缩。因此，骨骼肌收缩能力的任何下降都会导致某种程度的静止。许多肌肉疾病、随机和工程基因突变，甚至是健康的衰老都会损害肌肉的收缩能力。骨骼肌收缩能力的定量知识对于检验关于基本细胞和分子过程缺陷与肌肉骨骼脆弱和静止之间的相互作用的假说是必要的。简而言之，核心的具体目标是为NSC研究人员提供：(1)测量整个骨骼肌和来自横隔肌的小条完整纤维的收缩能力的设施、专业知识和技术支持；(2)关于测量收缩能力所需的知识和技能的指导和培训；以及(3)研究收缩能力的技术和/或专门仪器的开发。收缩能力最初是在整个骨骼肌的水平上测量的，以提供由于衰老或实验干预而导致的骨骼肌纤维细胞和分子变化所引起的最广泛的功能变化。在项目的后期阶段，可能需要在细胞或分子水平上进行更复杂的评估。收缩能力核心的开发是为了确保所有NSC研究人员能够在他们的实验中包括有效和可靠的骨骼肌收缩能力测量。因此，收缩能力核心为任何NSC研究人员提供免费的：(1)一项对六对对照和实验啮齿动物的研究；(2)帮助NSC研究人员、他们的工作人员或受训人员安装设备并独立测量收缩能力；以及(3)帮助开发一种创新技术，或每年建造一种专门的收缩能力测量仪器。CORE的后续使用通常是按服务收费的，但如果结果是有希望的，特别是如果NSC调查员提议寻求外部资金，额外的实验可能会得到CORE预算的支持，来自未分配的按存储容量使用费用。通过提供最先进的设施、技术和专业知识，该中心加强并鼓励在密歇根大学和世界范围内进行衰老基础生物学的多学科研究。

Skeletal muscle contractility is defined as the capability of the contractile proteins in a muscle to interact and generate force. All body movements are dependent on contractions of skeletal muscles. Consequently, any decline in skeletal muscle contractility results in some degree of immobility. Contractility is impaired by many muscle diseases, random and engineered genetic mutations, and even healthy aging. Quantitative knowledge of the contractility of skeletal muscles is necessary to test hypotheses regarding the interactions between deficits in basic cellular and molecular processes and musculoskeletal frailty and immobility. Briefly, the specific aims of the Core are to provide for NSC investigators: (1) facilities, expertise, and technical support for measuring contractility of whole skeletal muscles and small strips of intact fibers from the diaphragm muscle (2) instruction and training in the knowledge and skills necessary to measure contractility; and (3) development of techniques and/or construction of specialized apparatus for the study of the contractility. Contractility is measured initially at the level of the whole skeletal muscle to provide the broadest spectrum of functional changes arising from cellular and molecular changes in skeletal muscle fibers due to aging or experimental interventions. At later stages in a project, more sophisticated evaluations may be required at the cellular or molecular levels. The Contractility Core was developed to ensure that all NSC investigators are able to include valid and reliable measurements of skeletal muscle contractility in their experiments. Consequently, the Contractility Core provides free to any NSC investigator: (1) one study of six pairs of control and experimental rodents; (2) assistance in education and training NSC investigators, their staff, or trainees to set-up the apparatus and measure contractility independently; and (3) assistance in the development of one innovative technique, or the construction of one specialized instrument for the measurement of contractility per year. Subsequent use of the Core is generally on a fee-for-service basis, but if results are promising and particularly if the NSC investigator proposes to seek outside funding, additional experiments may be supported by the Core budget from unallocated charge-back-fees. Through the provision of state-of-the-art facilities, techniques and expertise, the Core enhances and encourages multidisciplinary research in the basic biology of aging at UM and worldwide.