ISSN:
0886-1544
Keywords:
Z-line interconnections
;
honey-bee flight muscle
;
transverse cytoskeletal network
;
Life and Medical Sciences
;
Cell & Developmental Biology
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Located at the level of the Z-line, the transverse cytoskeletal network of insectflight muscle interconnects adjacent myofibrils with one another, and interconnects peripheral myofibrils with the cell membrane. This network has been presumed to keep myofibrils in register, or to distribute tension laterally among myofibrils. In this study, we used scanning-electron microscopy to reveal details of the three-dimensional arrangement of this network. The network is seen to interconnect longitudinal elements of the cytoskeletal network which surround each myofibril. The arrangement is not unlike that seen in vertebrate skeletal muscle. Interestingly, the transverse network makes contact with cell components such as dense bodies and mitochondria. Such contacts imply potential roles over and above those noted above. The network may be involved not only in mechanical function, but possibly also in intracellular communication. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Additional Material:
9 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cm.970320306