biostudies-literatureWillingham TBIntramural NIH HHSU.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute3722https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC7381600biostudies-literatureUnknown11(1)Human movement occurs through contraction of the basic unit of the muscle cell, the sarcomere. Sarcomeres have long been considered to be arranged end-to-end in series along the length of the muscle into tube-like myofibrils with many individual, parallel myofibrils comprising the bulk of the muscle cell volume. Here, we demonstrate that striated muscle cells form a continuous myofibrillar matrix linked together by frequently branching sarcomeres. We find that all muscle cells contain highly connected myofibrillar networks though the frequency of sarcomere branching goes down from early to late postnatal development and is higher in slow-twitch than fast-twitch mature muscles. Moreover, we show that the myofibrillar matrix is united across the entire width of the muscle cell both at birth Nature communicationsThe unified myofibrillar matrix for force generation in muscle.PMC73816001ZIAHL006221-03ZIA HL006221Willingham TBKim YBleck CKEGlancy BLindberg EfalseThe unified myofibrillar matrix for force generation in muscle.Human movement occurs through contraction of the basic unit of the muscle cell, the sarcomere. Sarcomeres have long been considered to be arranged end-to-end in series along the length of the muscle into tube-like myofibrils with many individual, parallel myofibrils comprising the bulk of the muscle cell volume. Here, we demonstrate that striated muscle cells form a continuous myofibrillar matrix linked together by frequently branching sarcomeres. We find that all muscle cells contain highly connected myofibrillar networks though the frequency of sarcomere branching goes down from early to late postnatal development and is higher in slow-twitch than fast-twitch mature muscles. Moreover, we show that the myofibrillar matrix is united across the entire width of the muscle cell both at birth 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z2020 Jul2025-04-06T19:41:12.29Z2025-04-06T19:41:12.29ZS-EPMC73816003270990210.1038/s41467-020-17579-6