Journal of Nanomedicine & Nanotechnology

Takuya Miyakawa

Publications

• Review Article
  Visualization and Recording of Structural Changes in Hydrated, Living Muscle Myofilaments using the Gas Environmental Chamber
  Author(s): Haruo Sugi, Takuya Miyakawa, Masaru Tanokura, Shigeru Chaen, Hiroki Minoda and Tsuyoshi AkimotoHaruo Sugi, Takuya Miyakawa, Masaru Tanokura, Shigeru Chaen, Hiroki Minoda and Tsuyoshi Akimoto
  
  Although more than 50 years have passed since the monumental discovery of ATP-dependent sliding filament mechanism in muscle contraction, the mechanism of cyclic attachment-detachment cycle between myosin heads extending from myosin filaments and corresponding sites on actin filaments still remains to be a matter for debate and speculation. Using the gas environmental chamber (EC) attached to an electron microscope, we have succeeded in recording images of hydrated myosin filaments, with gold particle position markers attached to individual myosin heads. In the absence of ATP, the position of individual myosin heads does not change appreciably with time, indicating stability of time-averaged myosin head mean position. On ATP application, individual myosin heads move parallel to the filament axis by ~6 nm. At both sides of the filament bare region, across which myosin head polarity is .. View More»
  DOI: 10.4172/2157-7439.S5-005

  Abstract PDF