scholarly journals THE ORGANIZATION OF FLIGHT MUSCLE IN AN APHID, MEGOURA VICIAE (HOMOPTERA)

1965 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 379-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Smith

The organization of the indirect flight muscle of an aphid (Hemiptera-Homoptera) is described. The fibers of this muscle contain an extensive though irregularly disposed complement of T system tubules, derived as open invaginations from the cell surface and from the plasma membrane sheaths accompanying the tracheoles within the fiber. The sarcoplasmic reticulum is reduced to small vesicles applied to the T system surfaces, the intermembrane gap being traversed by blocks of electron-opaque material resembling that of septate desmosomes. The form and distribution of the T system and sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes in flight muscles of representatives of the major insect orders is described, and the extreme reduction of the reticulum cisternae in all asynchronous fibers (to which group the aphid flight muscle probably belongs), and the high degree of their development in synchronous fibers is documented and discussed in terms of the contraction physiology of these muscle cells.

1967 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 405-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth B. Ezerman ◽  
Harunori Ishikawa

The electron microscope was used to investigate the first 10 days of differentiation of the SR and the T system in skeletal muscle cultured from the breast muscle of 11-day chick embryos. The T-system tubules could be clearly distinguished from the SR in developing muscle cells fixed with glutaraldehyde and osmium tetroxide. Ferritin diffusion confirmed this finding: the ferritin particles were found only in the tubules identified as T system. The proliferation of both membranous systems seemed to start almost simultaneously at the earliest myotube stage. Observations suggested that the new SR membranes developed from the rough-surfaced ER as tubular projections. The SR tubules connected with one another to form a network around the myofibril. The T-system tubules were formed by invagination of the sarcolemma. The early extension of the T system by branching and budding was seen only in subsarcolemmal regions. Subsequently the T-system tubules could be seen deep within the muscle cells. Immediately after invaginating, the T-system tubule formed, along its course, specialized connections with the SR or ER: triadic structures showing various degrees of differentiation. The simultaneous occurrence of myofibril formation and membrane proliferation is considered to be important in understanding the coordinated events resulting in the differentiated myotube.


2013 ◽  
Vol 305 (8) ◽  
pp. C829-C845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanaa K. B. Motawea ◽  
Selvi C. Jeyaraj ◽  
Ali H. Eid ◽  
Srabani Mitra ◽  
Nicholas T. Unger ◽  
...  

The second messenger cyclic AMP (cAMP) plays a vital role in vascular physiology, including vasodilation of large blood vessels. We recently demonstrated cAMP activation of Epac-Rap1A and RhoA-Rho-associated kinase (ROCK)-F-actin signaling in arteriolar-derived smooth muscle cells increases expression and cell surface translocation of functional α2C-adrenoceptors (α2C-ARs) that mediate vasoconstriction in small blood vessels (arterioles). The Ras-related small GTPAse Rap1A increased expression of α2C-ARs and also increased translocation of perinuclear α2C-ARs to intracellular F-actin and to the plasma membrane. This study examined the mechanism of translocation to better understand the role of these newly discovered mediators of blood flow control, potentially activated in peripheral vascular disorders. We utilized a yeast two-hybrid screen with human microvascular smooth muscle cells (microVSM) cDNA library and the α2C-AR COOH terminus to identify a novel interaction with the actin cross-linker filamin-2. Yeast α-galactosidase assays, site-directed mutagenesis, and coimmunoprecipitation experiments in heterologous human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells and in human microVSM demonstrated that α2C-ARs, but not α2A-AR subtype, interacted with filamin. In Rap1-stimulated human microVSM, α2C-ARs colocalized with filamin on intracellular filaments and at the plasma membrane. Small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of filamin-2 inhibited Rap1-induced redistribution of α2C-ARs to the cell surface and inhibited receptor function. The studies suggest that cAMP-Rap1-Rho-ROCK signaling facilitates receptor translocation and function via phosphorylation of filamin-2 Ser2113. Together, these studies extend our previous findings to show that functional rescue of α2C-ARs is mediated through Rap1-filamin signaling. Perturbation of this signaling pathway may lead to alterations in α2C-AR trafficking and physiological function.


2002 ◽  
Vol 227 (6) ◽  
pp. 425-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Naimul Islam ◽  
Bisni Narayanan ◽  
Raymond S. Ochs

We have previously established that L6 skeletal muscle cell cultures display capacitative calcium entry (CCE), a phenomenon established with other cells in which Ca2+ uptake from outside cells increases when the endoplasmic reticulum (sarcoplasmic reticulum in muscle, or SR) store is decreased. Evidence for CCE rested on the use of thapsigargin (Tg), an inhibitor of the SR CaATPase and consequently transport of Ca2+ from cytosol to SR, and measurements of cytosolic Ca2+. When Ca2+ is added to Ca2+-free cells in the presence of Tg, the measured cytosolic Ca2+ rises. This has been universally interpreted to mean that as SR Ca2+ is depleted, exogenous Ca2+ crosses the plasma membrane, but accumulates in the cytosol due to CaATPase inhibition. Our goal in the present study was to examine CCE in more detail by measuring Ca2+ in both the SR lumen and the cytosol using established fluorescent dye techniques for both. Surprisingly, direct measurement of SR Ca2+ in the presence of Tg showed an increase in luminal Ca2+ concentration in response to added exogenous Ca2+. While we were able to reproduce the conventional demonstration of CCE—an increase of Ca2+ in the cytosol in the presence of thapsigargin—we found that this process was inhibited by the prior addition of ryanodine (Ry), which inhibits the SR Ca2+ release channel, the ryanodine receptor (RyR). This was also unexpected if Ca2+ enters the cytosol first. When Ca2+ was added prior to Ry, the later was unable to exert any inhibition. This implies a competitive interaction between Ca2+ and Ry at the RyR. In addition, we found a further paradox: we had previously found Ry to be an uncompetitive inhibitor of Ca2+ transport through the RyR during excitation-contraction coupling. We also found here that high concentrations of Ca2+ inhibited its own uptake, a known feature of the RyR. We confirmed that Ca2+ enters the cells through the dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR, also known as the L-channel) by demonstrating inhibition by diltiazem. A previous suggestion to the contrary had used Mn2+ in place of direct Ca2+ measurements; we showed that Mn2+ was not inhibited by diltiazem and was not capacitative, and thus not an appropriate probe of Ca2+ flow in muscle cells. Our findings are entirely explained by a new model whereby Ca2+ enters the SR from the extracellular space directly through a combined channel formed from the DHPR and the RyR. These are known to be in close proximity in skeletal muscle. Ca2+ subsequently appears in the cytosol by egress through a separate, unoccupied RyR, explaining Ry inhibition. We suggest that upon excitation, the DHPR, in response to the electrical field of the plasma membrane, shifts to an erstwhile-unoccupied receptor, and Ca2+ is released from the now open RyR to trigger contraction. We discuss how this model also resolves existing paradoxes in the literature, and its implications for other cell types.


Development ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 215-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Fernandes ◽  
K. VijayRaghavan

We have examined the development of innervation to the indirect flight muscles of Drosophila. During metamorphosis, the larval intersegmental nerve of the mesothorax is remodelled to innervate the dorsal longitudinal muscles and two of the dorsoventral muscles. Another modified larval nerve innervates the remaining dorsoventral muscle. The dorsal longitudinal muscles develop using modified larval muscles as templates while dorsoventral muscles develop without the use of such templates. The development of innervation to the two groups of indirect flight muscles differs in spatial and temporal patterns, which may reflect the different ways in which these muscles develop. The identification of myoblasts associated with thoracic nerves during larval life and the association of migrating myoblasts with nerves during metamorphosis indicate the existence of nerve-muscle interactions during indirect flight muscle development. In addition, the developing pattern of axonal branching suggests a role for the target muscles in respecifying neuromuscular junctions during metamorphosis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 317 (6) ◽  
pp. E957-E972
Author(s):  
Brent A. Fujimoto ◽  
Madison Young ◽  
Lamar Carter ◽  
Alina P. S. Pang ◽  
Michael J. Corley ◽  
...  

Skeletal muscle handles ~80–90% of the insulin-induced glucose uptake. In skeletal muscle, insulin binding to its cell surface receptor triggers redistribution of intracellular glucose transporter GLUT4 protein to the cell surface, enabling facilitated glucose uptake. In adipocytes, the eight-protein exocyst complex is an indispensable constituent in insulin-induced glucose uptake, as it is responsible for the targeted trafficking and plasma membrane-delivery of GLUT4. However, the role of the exocyst in skeletal muscle glucose uptake has never been investigated. Here we demonstrate that the exocyst is a necessary factor in insulin-induced glucose uptake in skeletal muscle cells as well. The exocyst complex colocalizes with GLUT4 storage vesicles in L6-GLUT4myc myoblasts at a basal state and associates with these vesicles during their translocation to the plasma membrane after insulin signaling. Moreover, we show that the exocyst inhibitor endosidin-2 and a heterozygous knockout of Exoc5 in skeletal myoblast cells both lead to impaired GLUT4 trafficking to the plasma membrane and hinder glucose uptake in response to an insulin stimulus. Our research is the first to establish that the exocyst complex regulates insulin-induced GLUT4 exocytosis and glucose metabolism in muscle cells. A deeper knowledge of the role of the exocyst complex in skeletal muscle tissue may help our understanding of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes.


1974 ◽  
Vol 186 (1085) ◽  
pp. 369-386 ◽  

Compared with those of visceral and vascular smooth muscles, the smooth muscle cells of the sphincter pupillae of the guinea-pig show remarkable structural features. They are small, irregular in shape, and have a surface to volume ratio of about 2.73 (i. e. for every cubic micrometre of cell volume there are on average 2.73 µ m 2 of cell surface). Mitochon­dria constitute about 12% of the cell volume. Smooth sarcoplasmic reticulum is extremely well developed, lying underneath wide areas of the cell surface, between and around caveolae, and around most mitochondria. Stacks of cisternae of sarcoplasmic reticulum are present in superficial and deep regions of muscle cells. In some muscle cells rough sarcoplasmic reticulum is predominant. Thick, thin and intermediate myofilaments are readily seen in all preparations. A few cells showed myofilaments with size and arrangement similar to those of striated muscle. Nexuses are frequently associated with sacs of sarcoplasmic reticulum and are more numerous than in smooth muscles previously studied. In montages of cross-sectioned sphincters about 24 nexuses for 100 muscle cells are counted. Frequently two parts of the same cell are connected by a nexus. Nexuses also occur between muscle cells which are in close relationship with the same nerve varicosity. The density of innervation is very high. In a montage from a full cross-section of the sphincter, there are 2791 profiles of muscle cells and 843 nerve fibres, of which 425 contain synaptic vesicles and 194 are separated from muscle cells by a gap of only about 20 nm. In a number of the closely apposed nerve endings junctional specializations are seen. Collagen fibrils have a diameter of about 50 nm. Some bundles of collagen lie between the muscle cell membrane and the basal lamina. Melanocytes and a few fibroblasts are seen. Blood vessels do not penetrate into the muscle but are numerous around it. No muscle cell is more than 20 µ m away from the nearest capillary. Endothelial cells contain abundant microfilaments 10 nm in diameter. Capillaries are not fenestrated.


1961 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 123-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Smith

The fine structure of fibrillar flight muscle of the mature adult beetle Tenebrio molitor is described. Although the very high frequency of contraction of fibrillar muscle has previously been in part accounted for as the result of mechanical specialization of the wing-bearing segment rather than of a correspondingly high rate of motor impulse supply, the problem of the nature of the pathway by which excitation is conducted into these large fibers remained. Therefore, particular attention has been given to the disposition and relationships of the plasma membrane and sarcoplasmic reticulum in this tissue. The invading tracheoles draw with them a sheath of plasma membrane from the surface to all depths in the fiber, and it is suggested that these sheaths, together with the extensive tubular arborisations arising from them, reduce the maximum plasma membrane-to-fibril distance from the radius of the fiber to a value of less than 2 µ. The evidence presented here confirms Veratti's contention that in fibrillar muscle the "reticulum" is associated with, though entirely distinct from the fibrils. Unlike other muscles so far examined, these flight muscle fibers contain a plasma membrane reticulum only, but it is possible that elsewhere the general "sarcoplasmic reticulum" includes a component derived from the plasma membrane, likewise acting as the pathway for inward conduction of excitation. Profiles of the internalised plasma membrane in Tenebrio showing the usual triple-layered 25-25-25 A organization are frequently seen, in sections, in close association with isolated vesicles (defined by "simple" 50 A membranes) which are here considered to represent, in vestigial form, the portion of the sarcoplasmic reticulum which in other types of muscle is complex and highly developed. Such associations, in Tenebrio, between these two dissimilar elements are here termed "dyads" and the possible morphological and functional homology between these and the "triads" of other types of fiber is considered.


2020 ◽  
Vol 153 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aldo Meizoso-Huesca ◽  
Bradley S. Launikonis

BTP2 is an inhibitor of the Ca2+ channel Orai1, which mediates store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). Despite having been extensively used in skeletal muscle, the effects of this inhibitor on Ca2+ handling in muscle cells have not been described. To address this question, we used intra- and extracellular application of BTP2 in mechanically skinned fibers and developed a localized modulator application approach, which provided in-preparation reference and test fiber sections to enhance detection of the effect of Ca2+ handling modulators. In addition to blocking Orai1-dependent SOCE, we found a BTP2-dependent inhibition of resting extracellular Ca2+ flux. Increasing concentrations of BTP2 caused a shift from inducing accumulation of Ca2+ in the t-system due to Orai1 blocking to reducing the resting [Ca2+] in the sealed t-system. This effect was not observed in the absence of functional ryanodine receptors (RYRs), suggesting that higher concentrations of BTP2 impair RYR function. Additionally, we found that BTP2 impaired action potential–induced Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum during repetitive stimulation without compromising the fiber Ca2+ content. BTP2 was found to have an effect on RYR-mediated Ca2+ release, suggesting that RYR is the point of BTP2-induced inhibition during cycles of EC coupling. The effects of BTP2 on the RYR Ca2+ leak and release were abolished by pre-exposure to saponin, indicating that the effects of BTP2 on the RYR are not direct and require a functional t-system. Our results demonstrate the presence of a SOCE channels–mediated basal Ca2+ influx in healthy muscle fibers and indicate that BTP2 has multiple effects on Ca2+ handling, including indirect effects on the activity of the RYR.


1966 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Smith

The cytological organization of flight muscle fibers of Odonata has been investigated. These fibers, in representatives of the Zygoptera and Anisoptera, have been compared and found to be similar, except that, in the former, pairs of lamellar fibrils, rather than single fibrils, alternate with the mitochondria. In each instance, in these synchronous muscles, the actin filaments of the myofibrils are found to lie opposite to and midway between pairs of myosin filaments—a configuration previously reported in asynchronous flight muscle fibers. The disposition of the T system and sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes in glutaraldehyde-fixed anisopteran muscle is described in detail: the T system tubules are shown to be radially continuous across the fiber, and are derived as openmouthed invaginations from the surface cell-membrane. The detailed organization of the dyad junctions between these tubules and the adjoining cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum is described. The accessibility of the T system interior to diffusion exchange with the general extracellular milieu has been investigated by studies on the penetration of ferritin into the fiber: molecules of this marker have been found to diffuse solely along the T system tubules, and their presence in the tubule extremities adjoining the centrally placed nuclei confirms the morphological evidence suggesting that these tubules provide open diffusion channels extending across the radius of the fiber. The possible physiological role of these membrane components and their distribution in synchronous muscles of insects and vertebrates and in asynchronous insect flight muscle are discussed.


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