Muscle Contraction and Cell Motility

Haruo Sugi graduated from the Postgraduate School of the University of Tokyo, Japan, with a PhD in 1962 and was appointed instructor in the Department of Physiology of the University of Tokyo. From 1965 to 1966, he worked at Columbia University as a research associate and at the National Institutes of Health as a visiting scientist. He was a professor in and chairman of the Department of Physiology, Teikyo University Medical School, Japan, from 1973 to 2004, when he became emeritus professor.

"Sugi’s book provides an extensive collection of the latest and most up-to-date aspects of the field of muscle contraction from the leaders of the field. Especially appealing are the frank critiques of the current models, which provide abundant food for thought. I heartily encourage anyone interested in the field to devour the contents of this informative book."—Prof. Gerald H. Pollack, University of Washington, USA"Professor Haruo Sugi continues his valuable tradition of regular compendia of important reviews by leading experts in the field of muscle research. The reviews cover skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle as well as cell motility. Some of the reviews are didactic, while others shed new light on old concepts. The volume is packed with useful, in-depth information for the newcomer and the expert alike."—Dr. Pradeep Luther, Imperial College London, UK"For over more than two decades, the muscle symposia organized by Prof. Haruo Sugi have allowed both young and seasoned muscle scientists to confront new data and new hypotheses. The present book includes a fascinating chapter by Sugi himself where the fundamental event of the myosin power stroke is studied afresh with a new powerful EM technique."—Prof. Jean-Marie Gillis, University of Louvain, Belgium"It is widely believed that the mechanisms of muscle contraction and its regulation have been completely understood, but the reality is quite different, as highlighted in this book. Although the sliding mechanism of contraction and the regulatory role of Ca2+ have been established, the structural changes of the protein assembly responsible for these mechanisms have not been elucidated yet. This book concretely indicates where the future challenges lie concerning the mechanisms of muscle contraction and motility of non-muscle cells."—Prof. Shin'ichi Ishiwata, Waseda University, Japan"Muscle contraction and related mechanisms of cell motility are covered in many biochemistry, cell biology, and physiology texts. Textbook writers seek out information that illustrates basic principles and select examples that support these ideas. On the other hand, the contributors of a multi-authored work, such as Muscle Contraction and Cell Motility: Fundamentals and Developments, edited by Haruo Sugi, are free to address problems that are troubling them. These topics should be considered by researchers in the field to ensure progress is based on objective foundations."—Prof. Clive R. Bagshaw, University of California at Santa Cruz, USA

• Definite differences between in vitro actin-myosin sliding and muscle contraction revealed by the effect of antibodies to myosin head. Mechanism of force potentiation after stretch in intact mammalian muscle. The catch state of molluscan smooth muscle. The "functional cross-bridge": A basis in structurally-altered kinetic changes in sarcomere mechanics in Drosophila flight muscle. Regulation of myosin function and cardiac contraction by essential myosin light chains. Characteristics and mechanisms of force generation by increase of temperature in active skeletal muscle. What X-ray diffraction can tell us about muscle contraction. ATP utilization in cardiac and skeletal muscle: economy and efficiency. Visualization and recording of myosin head power stroke in skeletal muscle. From artifact to essential component: evolution of function of MYBPC in cardiac muscle.