Large isoforms of UNC-89 (obscurin) are required for muscle cell architecture and optimal calcium release in Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT: Calcium, a ubiquitous intracellular signaling molecule, controls a diverse array of cellular processes. Consequently, cells have developed strategies to modulate the shape of calcium signals in space and time. The force generating machinery in muscle is regulated by the influx and efflux of calcium ions into the muscle cytoplasm. In order for efficient and effective muscle contraction to occur, calcium needs to be rapidly, accurately and reliably regulated. The mechanisms underlying this highly regulated process are not fully understood. Here, we show that the Caenorhabditis elegans homolog of the giant muscle protein obscurin, UNC-89, is required for normal muscle cell architecture. The large immunoglobulin domain-rich isoforms of UNC-89 are critical for sarcomere and sarcoplasmic reticul

SUBMITTER: Spooner PM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3388081 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature