In vivo Sarcomere Lengths and Sarcomere Elongations Are Not Uniform across an Intact Muscle

The telocytes relationship with satellite cells: Extracellular vesicles mediate the myotendinous junction remodeling

The peripheral nerve injury (PNI) affects the morphology of the whole locomotor apparatus, which can reach the myotendinous junction (MTJ) interface. In the injury condition, the skeletal muscle satellite cells (SC) are triggered, activated, and proliferated to repair their structure, and in the MTJ, the telocytes (TC) are associated to support the interface with the need for remodeling; in that way, these cells can be associated with SC. The study aimed to describe the SC and TC relationship after PNI at the MTJ. Sixteen adult Wistar rats were divided into Control Group (C, n = 8) and PNI Group (PNI, n = 8), PNI was performed by the constriction of the sciatic nerve. The samples were processed for transmission electron microscopy and immunostaining analysis. In the C group was evidenced the arrangement of sarcoplasmic evaginations and invaginations, the support collagen layer with a TC inside it, and an SC through vesicles internally and externally to then. In the PNI group were observed the disarrangement of invaginations and evaginations and sarcomeres degradation at MTJ, as the disposition of telopodes adjacent and in contact to the SC with extracellular vesicles and exosomes in a characterized paracrine activity. These findings can determine a link between the TCs and the SCs at the MTJ remodeling. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Peripheral nerve injury promotes the myotendinous junction (MTJ) remodeling. The telocytes (TC) and the satellite cells (SC) are present at the myotendinous interface. TC mediated the SC activity at MTJ.

Levosimendan's Effects on Length-Dependent Activation in Murine Fast-Twitch Skeletal Muscle

Levosimendan's calcium sensitizing effects in heart muscle cells are well established; yet, its potential impact on skeletal muscle cells has not been evidently determined. Despite controversial results, levosimendan is still expected to interact with skeletal muscle through off-target sites (further than troponin C). Adding to this debate, we investigated levosimendan's acute impact on fast-twitch skeletal muscle biomechanics in a length-dependent activation study by submersing single muscle fibres in a levosimendan-supplemented solution. We employed our MyoRobot technology to investigate the calcium sensitivity of skinned single muscle fibres alongside their stress-strain response in the presence or absence of levosimendan (100 µM). While control data are in agreement with the theory of length-dependent activation, levosimendan appears to shift the onset of the 'descending limb' of active force generation to longer sarcomere lengths without notably improving myofibrillar calcium sensitivity. Passive stretches in the presence of levosimendan yielded over twice the amount of enlarged restoration stress and Young's modulus in comparison to control single fibres. Both effects have not been described before and may point towards potential off-target sites of levosimendan.

Three-dimensional imaging studies in mice identify cellular dynamics of skeletal muscle regeneration

The function of many organs, including skeletal muscle, depends on their three-dimensional structure. Muscle regeneration therefore requires not only reestablishment of myofibers but also restoration of tissue architecture. Resident muscle stem cells (SCs) are essential for regeneration, but how SCs regenerate muscle architecture is largely unknown. We address this problem using genetic labeling of mouse SCs and whole-mount imaging to reconstruct, in three dimensions, muscle regeneration. Unexpectedly, we found that myofibers form via two distinct phases of fusion and the residual basement membrane of necrotic myofibers is critical for promoting fusion and orienting regenerated myofibers. Furthermore, the centralized myonuclei characteristic of regenerated myofibers are associated with myofibrillogenesis and endure months post injury. Finally, we elucidate two cellular mechanisms for the formation of branched myofibers, a pathology characteristic of diseased muscle. We provide a synthesis of the cellular events of regeneration and show that these differ from those used during development.

Finite Element Model of the Shoulder with Active Rotator Cuff Muscles: Application to Wheelchair Propulsion

The rotator cuff is prone to injury, remarkably so for manual wheelchair users. To understand its pathomechanisms, finite element models incorporating three-dimensional activated muscles are needed to predict soft tissue strains during given tasks. This study aimed to develop such a model to understand pathomechanisms associated with wheelchair propulsion. We developed an active muscle model associating a passive fiber-reinforced isotropic matrix with an activation law linking calcium ion concentration to tissue tension. This model was first evaluated against known physiological muscle behavior; then used to activate the rotator cuff during a wheelchair propulsion cycle. Here, experimental kinematics and electromyography data was used to drive a shoulder finite element model. Finally, we evaluated the importance of muscle activation by comparing the results of activated and non-activated rotator cuff muscles during both propulsion and isometric contractions. Qualitatively, the muscle constitutive law reasonably reproduced the classical Hill model force-length curve and the behavior of a transversally loaded muscle. During wheelchair propulsion, the deformation and fiber stretch of the supraspinatus muscle-tendon unit pointed towards the possibility for this tendon to develop tendinosis due to the multiaxial loading imposed by the kinematics of propulsion. Finally, differences in local stretch and positions of the lines of action between activated and non-activated models were only observed at activation levels higher than 30%. Our novel finite element model with active muscles is a promising tool for understanding the pathomechanisms of the rotator cuff for various dynamic tasks, especially those with high muscle activation levels.

Optimal fibre length and maximum isometric force are the most influential parameters when modelling muscular adaptations to unloading using Hill-type muscle models

Introduction: Spaceflight is associated with severe muscular adaptations with substantial inter-individual variability. A Hill-type muscle model is a common method to replicate muscle physiology in musculoskeletal simulations, but little is known about how the underlying parameters should be adjusted to model adaptations to unloading. The aim of this study was to determine how Hill-type muscle model parameters should be adjusted to model disuse muscular adaptations. Methods: Isokinetic dynamometer data were taken from a bed rest campaign and used to perform tracking simulations at two knee extension angular velocities (30°·s-1 and 180°·s-1). The activation and contraction dynamics were solved using an optimal control approach and direct collocation method. A Monte Carlo sampling technique was used to perturb muscle model parameters within physiological boundaries to create a range of theoretical and feasible parameters to model muscle adaptations. Results: Optimal fibre length could not be shortened by more than 67% and 61% for the knee flexors and non-knee muscles, respectively. Discussion: The Hill-type muscle model successfully replicated muscular adaptations due to unloading, and recreated salient features of muscle behaviour associated with spaceflight, such as altered force-length behaviour. Future researchers should carefully adjust the optimal fibre lengths of their muscle-models when trying to model adaptations to unloading, particularly muscles that primarily operate on the ascending and descending limbs of the force-length relationship.

Gaining new understanding of sarcomere length non-uniformities in skeletal muscles

Sarcomere lengths are non-uniform on all structural levels of mammalian skeletal muscle. These non-uniformities have been associated with a variety of mechanical properties, including residual force enhancement and depression, creep, increased force capacity, and extension of the plateau of the force-length relationship. However, the nature of sarcomere length non-uniformities has not been explored systematically. The purpose of this study was to determine the properties of sarcomere length non-uniformities in active and passive muscle. Single myofibrils of rabbit psoas (n = 20; with 412 individual sarcomeres) were subjected to three activation/deactivation cycles and individual sarcomere lengths were measured at 4 passive and 3 active points during the activation/deactivation cycles. The myofibrils were divided into three groups based on their initial average sarcomere lengths: short, intermediate, and long average sarcomere lengths of 2.7, 3.2, and 3.6 µm. The primary results were that sarcomere length non-uniformities did not occur randomly but were governed by some structural and/or contractile properties of the sarcomeres and that sarcomere length non-uniformities increased when myofibrils went from the passive to the active state. We propose that the mechanisms that govern the systematic sarcomere lengths non-uniformities observed in active and passive myofibrils may be associated with the variable number of contractile proteins and the variable number and the adjustable stiffness of titin filaments in individual sarcomeres.

Actuated tissue engineered muscle grafts restore functional mobility after volumetric muscle loss

Damage that affects large volumes of skeletal muscle tissue can severely impact health, mobility, and quality-of-life. Efforts to restore muscle function by implanting tissue engineered muscle grafts at the site of damage have demonstrated limited restoration of force production. Various forms of mechanical and biochemical stimulation have been shown to have a potentially beneficial impact on graft maturation, vascularization, and innervation. However, these approaches yield unpredictable and incomplete recovery of functional mobility. Here we show that targeted actuation of implanted grafts, via non-invasive transcutaneous light stimulation of optogenetic engineered muscle, restores motor function to levels similar to healthy mice 2 weeks post-injury. Furthermore, we conduct phosphoproteomic analysis of actuated engineered muscle in vivo and in vitro to show that repeated muscle contraction alters signaling pathways that play key roles in skeletal muscle contractility, adaptation to injury, neurite growth, neuromuscular synapse formation, angiogenesis, and cytoskeletal remodeling. Our study uncovers changes in phosphorylation of several proteins previously unreported in the context of muscle contraction, revealing promising mechanisms for leveraging actuated muscle grafts to restore mobility after volumetric muscle loss.

Impact of stretch on sarcomere length variability in isolated fully relaxed rat cardiac myocytes

The contractility of cardiac muscle is greatly affected by preload via the Frank-Starling mechanism (FSM). It is based on preload-dependent activation of sarcomeres-the elementary contractile units in muscle cells. Recent findings show a natural variability in sarcomere length (SL) in resting cardiomyocytes that, moreover, is altered in an actively contracting myocyte. SL variability may contribute to the FSM, but it remains unresolved whether the change in the SL variability is regulated by activation process per se or simply by changes in cell stretch, i.e., average SL. To separate the roles of activation and SL, we characterized SL variability in isolated, fully relaxed rat ventricular cardiomyocytes (n = 12) subjected to a longitudinal stretch with the carbon fiber (CF) technique. Each cell was tested in three states: without CF attachment (control, no preload), with CF attachment without stretch, and with CF attachment and ~ 10% stretch of initial SL. The cells were imaged by transmitted light microscopy to retrieve and analyze individual SL and SL variability off-line by multiple quantitative measures such as coefficient of variation or median absolute deviation. We found that CF attachment without stretch did not affect the extent of SL variability nor average SL. In stretched myocytes, the averaged SL significantly increased, while the SL variability remained unchanged. This result clearly indicates that the non-uniformity of individual SL is not sensitive to the average SL itself in fully relaxed myocytes. We conclude that SL variability per se does not contribute to the FSM in the heart.

Impact of stretch on sarcomere length variability in isolated fully relaxed rat cardiac myocytes

The contractility of cardiac muscle is greatly affected by preload via the Frank-Starling Mechanism (FSM). It is based on the preload-dependent activation of sarcomeres - the elementary contractile units in muscle cells. Recent findings show a natural variability in sarcomere length (SL) in resting cardiomyocytes that, moreover, is altered in an actively contracting myocyte. SL variability may contribute to the FSM but it remains unresolved whether the change in the SL variability is regulated by activation process per se or simply by changes in cell stretch, i.e. average SL. To separate the roles of activation and SL, we characterized SL variability in isolated fully relaxed rat ventricular cardiomyocytes ( n  = 12) subjected to a longitudinal stretch with the carbon fiber (CF) technique. Each cell was tested in three states: without CF attachment (control, no preload), with CF attachment without stretch, and with CF attachment and ~ 10% stretch of initial SL. The cells were imaged by transmitted light microscopy to retrieve and analyze individual SL and SL variability off-line by multiple quantitative measures like coefficient of variation or median absolute deviation. We found that CF attachment without stretch did not affect the extent of SL variability and averaged SL. In stretched myocytes, the averaged SL significantly increased while the SL variability remained unchanged. This result clearly indicates that the non-uniformity of individual SL is not sensitive to the average SL itself in fully relaxed myocytes. We conclude that SL variability per se does not contribute to the FSM in the heart.

Musculotendon Parameters in Lower Limb Models: Simplifications, Uncertainties, and Muscle Force Estimation Sensitivity

Musculotendon parameters are key factors in the Hill-type muscle contraction dynamics, determining the muscle force estimation accuracy of a musculoskeletal model. Their values are mostly derived from muscle architecture datasets, whose emergence has been a major impetus for model development. However, it is often not clear if such parameter update indeed improves simulation accuracy. Our goal is to explain to model users how these parameters are derived and how accurate they are, as well as to what extent errors in parameter values might influence force estimation. We examine in detail the derivation of musculotendon parameters in six muscle architecture datasets and four prominent OpenSim models of the lower limb, and then identify simplifications which could add uncertainties to the derived parameter values. Finally, we analyze the sensitivity of muscle force estimation to these parameters both numerically and analytically. Nine typical simplifications in parameter derivation are identified. Partial derivatives of the Hill-type contraction dynamics are derived. Tendon slack length is determined as the musculotendon parameter that muscle force estimation is most sensitive to, whereas pennation angle is the least impactful. Anatomical measurements alone are not enough to calibrate musculotendon parameters, and the improvement on muscle force estimation accuracy will be limited if the source muscle architecture datasets are the only main update. Model users may check if a dataset or model is free of concerning factors for their research or application requirements. The derived partial derivatives may be used as the gradient for musculotendon parameter calibration. For model development, we demonstrate that it is more promising to focus on other model parameters or components and seek alternative strategies to further increase simulation accuracy.

In-vivo along muscle fascicle strain heterogeneity is not affected by image registration parameters: Robustness testing of combined magnetic resonance-diffusion tensor imaging method

Coupled with diffusion tractography, non-rigid registration of high-resolution anatomical MR images allows the calculation of local strains along human skeletal muscle fascicles in-vivo. A reference study (passively imposed lengthening of gastrocnemius medial muscle) reported local shortening and lengthening occurring along the same muscle fascicles. However, the robustness of strain amplitudes and distribution patterns should be studied, as the heterogeneity of local length changes has major implications for muscle function. Using a previous image set of human medial gastrocnemius (GM) we aimed at testing: (1) the consistency of our MRI-DTI analysis workflow against changes made to the software environments, (2) the hypothesis that non-rigid demons algorithm tuning parameters (16 paired combinations were tested) are not a significant determinant of muscle fiber direction strain heterogeneity caused by passive knee extension. A profoundly altered analysis workflow did reproduce the original results well, showing a general pattern of proximally lengthened and distally shortened muscle fascicles (strain amplitude range: 21%-67%). Hierarchical shift function analyses and pairwise comparison of strain distributions between 10 equal parts of the tracked GM fascicles confirmed the hypothesis showing no significant effects of tuning parameters determining the in-vivo deformation field inhomogeneity. The findings show the robustness of the MRI-DTI method, and confirming the hypothesis, also the consistency of along muscle fascicle strain heterogeneity patterns against parameter selection. However, the strain amplitudes do vary with parameter choices. New studies are indicated to determine optimal tuning parameters to achieve accurate strain amplitudes compared to exact strains.

Influence of weighted downhill running training on serial sarcomere number and work loop performance in the rat soleus

Increased serial sarcomere number (SSN) has been observed in rats following downhill running training due to the emphasis on active lengthening contractions; however, little is known about the influence on dynamic contractile function. Therefore, we employed 4 weeks of weighted downhill running training in rats, then assessed soleus SSN and work loop performance. We hypothesised trained rats would produce greater net work output during work loops due to a greater SSN. Thirty-one Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to a training or sedentary control group. Weight was added during downhill running via a custom-made vest, progressing from 5–15% body mass. Following sacrifice, the soleus was dissected, and a force-length relationship was constructed. Work loops (cyclic muscle length changes) were then performed about optimal muscle length (L_O) at 1.5–3-Hz cycle frequencies and 1–7-mm length changes. Muscles were then fixed in formalin at L_O. Fascicle lengths and sarcomere lengths were measured to calculate SSN. Intramuscular collagen content and crosslinking were quantified via a hydroxyproline content and pepsin-solubility assay. Trained rats had longer fascicle lengths (+13%), greater SSN (+8%), and a less steep passive force-length curve than controls (P<0.05). There were no differences in collagen parameters (P>0.05). Net work output was greater (+78–209%) in trained than control rats for the 1.5-Hz work loops at 1 and 3-mm length changes (P<0.05), however, net work output was more related to maximum specific force (R²=0.17-0.48, P<0.05) than SSN (R²=0.03-0.07, P=0.17-0.86). Therefore, contrary to our hypothesis, training-induced sarcomerogenesis likely contributed little to the improvements in work loop performance.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

Summary: An investigation of adaptations in mechanical function induced by a novel method of weighted downhill running training in rats, and the connections to adaptations in muscle architecture.

What Can We Learn from Single Sarcomere and Myofibril Preparations?

Sarcomeres are the smallest functional contractile unit of muscle, and myofibrils are striated muscle organelles that are comprised of sarcomeres that are strictly aligned in series. Furthermore, passive forces in sarcomeres and myofibrils are almost exclusively produced by the structural protein titin, and all contractile, regulatory, and structural proteins are in their natural configuration. For these mechanical and structural reasons single sarcomere and myofibril preparations are arguably the most powerful to answer questions on the mechanisms of striated muscle contraction. We developed and optimized single myofibril research over the past 20 years and were the first to mechanically isolate and test single sarcomeres. The results from this research led to the uncovering of the crucial role of titin in muscle contraction, first molecular explanations for the origins of the passive and the residual force enhancement properties of skeletal and cardiac muscles, the discovery of sarcomere length stability on the descending limb of the force-length relationship, and culminating in the formulation of the three-filament theory of muscle contraction that, aside from actin and myosin, proposes a crucial role of titin in active force production. Aside from all the advantages and possibilities that single sarcomere and myofibril preparations offer, there are also disadvantages. These include the fragility of the preparation, the time-consuming training to master these preparations, the limited spatial resolution for length and force measurements, and the unavailability of commercial systems for single sarcomere/myofibril research. Ignoring the mechanics that govern serially linked systems, not considering the spatial resolution and associated accuracies of myofibril systems, and neglecting the fragility of myofibril preparations, has led to erroneous interpretations of results and misleading conclusions. Here, we will attempt to describe the methods and possible applications of single sarcomere/myofibril research and discuss the advantages and disadvantages by focusing on specific applications. It is hoped that this discussion may contribute to identifying the enormous potential of single sarcomere/myofibril research in discovering the secrets of muscle contraction.

The Effects of Eccentric Strength Training on Flexibility and Strength in Healthy Samples and Laboratory Settings: A Systematic Review

Background: The risk of future injury appears to be influenced by agonist fascicle length (FL), joint range of motion (ROM) and eccentric strength. Biomechanical observations of the torque-angle-relationship further reveal a strong dependence on these factors. In practice, a longer FL improves sprinting performance and lowers injury risk. Classical stretching is a popular and evidenced-based training for enhancing ROM but does not have any effects on FL and injury risk. However, recent studies show that eccentric-only training (ECC) improves both flexibility and strength, and effectively lowers risk of injury.

Objectives: To review the evidence on benefits of ECC for flexibility and strength.

Methods: COCHRANE, PUBMED, SCOPUS, SPOLIT, and SPONET were searched for laboratory trials that compare ECC to at least one comparison group. Studies were eligible if they examined both strength and flexibility metrics in a healthy sample (<65 years) and met criteria for controlled or randomized clinical trials (CCT, RCT). 18 studies have been included and successfully rated using the PEDro scale.

Results: 16 of 18 studies show strong evidence of strength and flexibility enhancements for the lower limb. While improvements between ECC and concentric training (CONC) were similar for eccentric (+19 ± 10% vs. +19 ± 11%) and isometric strength (+16 ± 10% vs. +13 ± 6%), CONC showed larger improvements for concentric strength (+9 ± 6% vs. +16 ± 7%). While for ROM ECC showed improvements (+9 ± 7%), no results could be found for CONC. The overall effectiveness of ECC seems to be higher than of CONC.

Conclusion: There is clear evidence that ECC is an effective method for changes in muscle architecture, leading to both flexibility and strength improvements for the lower limb. Due to limited data no shoulder study could be included. Further research is needed for the upper body joints with a focus on functional and structural adaptions.

Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021283248, identifier CRD42021283248

Bridging the muscle genome to phenome across multiple biological scales

Muscle is highly hierarchically organized, with functions shaped by genetically controlled expression of protein ensembles with different isoform profiles at the sarcomere scale. However, it remains unclear how isoform profiles shape whole-muscle performance. We compared two mouse hindlimb muscles, the slow, relatively parallel-fibered soleus and the faster, more pennate-fibered tibialis anterior (TA), across scales: from gene regulation, isoform expression and translation speed, to force-length-velocity-power for intact muscles. Expression of myosin heavy-chain (MHC) isoforms directly corresponded with contraction velocity. The fast-twitch TA with fast MHC isoforms had faster unloaded velocities (actin sliding velocity, Vactin; peak fiber velocity, Vmax) than the slow-twitch soleus. For the soleus, Vactin was biased towards Vactin for purely slow MHC I, despite this muscle's even fast and slow MHC isoform composition. Our multi-scale results clearly identified a consistent and significant dampening in fiber shortening velocities for both muscles, underscoring an indirect correlation between Vactin and fiber Vmax that may be influenced by differences in fiber architecture, along with internal loading due to both passive and active effects. These influences correlate with the increased peak force and power in the slightly more pennate TA, leading to a broader length range of near-optimal force production. Conversely, a greater force-velocity curvature in the near-parallel fibered soleus highlights the fine-tuning by molecular-scale influences including myosin heavy and light chain expression along with whole-muscle characteristics. Our results demonstrate that the individual gene, protein and whole-fiber characteristics do not directly reflect overall muscle performance but that intricate fine-tuning across scales shapes specialized muscle function.

Variability of in vivo Sarcomere Length Measures in the Upper Limb Obtained With Second Harmonic Generation Microendoscopy

The lengths of a muscle’s sarcomeres are a primary determinant of its ability to contract and produce force. In addition, sarcomere length is a critical parameter that is required to make meaningful comparisons of both the force-generating and excursion capacities of different muscles. Until recently, in vivo sarcomere length data have been limited to invasive or intraoperative measurement techniques. With the advent of second harmonic generation microendoscopy, minimally invasive measures of sarcomere length can be made for the first time. This imaging technique expands our ability to study muscle adaptation due to changes in stimulus, use, or disease. However, due to past inability to measure sarcomeres outside of surgery or biopsy, little is known about the natural, anatomical variability in sarcomere length in living human subjects. To develop robust experimental protocols that ensure data provide accurate representations of a muscle’s sarcomere lengths, we sought to quantify experimental uncertainty associated with in vivo measures of sarcomere lengths. Specifically, we assessed the variability in sarcomere length measured (1) within a single image, along a muscle fiber, (2) across images captured within a single trial, across trials, and across days, as well as (3) across locations in the muscle using second harmonic generation in two upper limb muscles with different muscle architectures, functions, and sizes. Across all of our measures of variability we estimate that the magnitude of the uncertainty for in vivo sarcomere length is on the order of ∼0.25 μm. In the two upper limb muscles studied we found larger variability in sarcomere lengths within a single insertion than across locations. We also developed custom code to make measures of sarcomere length variability across a single fiber and determined that this codes’ accuracy is an order of magnitude smaller than our measurement uncertainty due to sarcomere variability. Together, our findings provide guidance for the development of robust experimental design and analysis of in vivo sarcomere lengths in the upper limb.

The mini-IDLE 3D biomimetic culture assay enables interrogation of mechanisms governing muscle stem cell quiescence and niche repopulation

Adult skeletal muscle harbours a population of muscle stem cells (MuSCs) that are required for repair after tissue injury. In youth, MuSCs return to a reversible state of cell-cycle arrest termed 'quiescence' after injury resolution. Conversely, some MuSCs in aged muscle remain semi-activated, causing a premature response to injuries that results in incomplete repair and eventual stem cell depletion. Regulating this balance between MuSC quiescence and activation may hold the key to restoring tissue homeostasis with age, but is incompletely understood. To fill this gap, we developed a simple and tractable in vitro method, to rapidly inactivate MuSCs freshly isolated from young murine skeletal muscle, and return them to a quiescent-like state for at least 1-week, which we name mini-IDLE (Inactivation and Dormancy LEveraged in vitro). This was achieved by introducing MuSCs into a 3D bioartificial niche comprised of a thin sheet of mouse myotubes, which we demonstrate provides the minimal cues necessary to induce quiescence. With different starting numbers of MuSCs, the assay revealed cellular heterogeneity and population-level adaptations that converged on a common niche repopulation density; behaviours previously observed only in vivo. Quiescence-associated hallmarks included a Pax7⁺CalcR⁺DDX6⁺MyoD^-c-FOS^- signature, quiescent-like morphologies, and polarized niche markers. Leveraging high-content bioimaging pipelines, we demonstrate a relationship between morphology and cell fate signatures for possible real-time morphology-based screening. When using MuSCs from aged muscle, they displayed aberrant proliferative activities and delayed inactivation kinetics, among other quiescence-associated defects that we show are partially rescued by wortmannin treatment. Thus, the assay offers an unprecedented opportunity to systematically investigate long-standing queries in areas such as regulation of pool size and functional heterogeneity within the MuSC population, and to uncover quiescence regulators in youth and age.

In vivo assessment of the passive stretching response of the bi-compartmental human semitendinosus muscle using shear wave elastography

The semitendinosus muscle contains distinct proximal and distal compartments arranged anatomically in-series but separated by a tendinous inscription, with each compartment innervated by separate nerve branches. Although extensively investigated in other mammals, compartment-specific mechanical properties within the human semitendinosus have scarcely been assessed in vivo. Experimental data obtained during muscle-tendon unit stretching (e.g., slack angle) can also be used to validate and/or improve musculoskeletal model estimates of semitendinosus muscle force. The purpose of this study was to investigate the passive stretching response of proximal and distal humans semitendinosus compartments to distal joint extension. Using two-dimensional shear wave elastography, we bilaterally obtained shear moduli of both semitendinosus compartments from 14 prone-positioned individuals at ten knee flexion angles (from 90° to 0° [full extension] at 10° intervals). Passive muscle mechanical characteristics (slack angle, slack shear modulus, and the slope of the increase in shear modulus) were determined for each semitendinosus compartment by fitting a piecewise exponential model to the shear modulus-joint angle curves. We found no differences between compartments or legs for slack angle, slack shear modulus, or the slope of the increase in shear modulus. We also found the experimentally determined slack angle occurred at ~15-80° higher knee flexion angles compared to estimates from two commonly used musculoskeletal models, depending on participant and model used. Overall, these findings demonstrate that passive shear modulus-joint angle curves do not differ between proximal and distal human semitendinosus compartments, and provide experimental data to improve semitendinosus force estimates derived from musculoskeletal models.

Heterogeneity in form and function of the rat extensor digitorum longus motor unit

The motor unit comprises a variable number of muscle fibres that connect through myelinated nerve fibres to a motoneuron (MN), the central drivers of activity. At the simplest level of organisation there exist phenotypically distinct MNs that activate corresponding muscle fibre types, but within an individual motor pool there typically exists a mixed population of fast and slow firing MNs, innervating groups of Type II and Type I fibres, respectively. Characterising the heterogeneity across multiple levels of motor unit organisation is critical to understanding changes that occur in response to physiological and pathological perturbations. Through a comprehensive assessment of muscle histology and ex vivo function, mathematical modelling and neuronal tracing, we demonstrate regional heterogeneities at the level of the MN, muscle fibre type composition and oxygen delivery kinetics of the rat extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle. Specifically, the EDL contains two phenotypically distinct regions: a relatively oxidative medial and a more glycolytic lateral compartment. Smaller muscle fibres in the medial compartment, in combination with a greater local capillary density, preserve tissue O₂ partial pressure (PO₂) during modelled activity. Conversely, capillary supply to the lateral compartment is calculated to be insufficient to defend active muscle PO₂ but is likely optimised to facilitate metabolite removal. Simulation of in vivo muscle length change and phasic activation suggest that both compartments are able to generate similar net power. However, retrograde tracing demonstrates (counter to previous observations) that a negative relationship between soma size and C‐bouton density exists. Finally, we confirm a lack of specificity of SK3 expression to slow MNs. Together, these data provide a reference for heterogeneities across the rat EDL motor unit and re‐emphasise the importance of sampling technique.

Muscle in Variable Gravity: "I Do Not Know Where I Am, But I Know What to Do"

Purpose: Fascicle and sarcomere lengths are important predictors of muscle mechanical performance. However, their regulation during stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) activities in usual and challenging conditions is poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate muscle fascicle and sarcomere behavior during drop jumps (a common SSC activity) in conditions of variable gravity.

Methods: Fifteen volunteers performed repeated drop jumps in 1 g, hypo-gravity (0 to 1 g), and hyper-gravity (1 to 2 g) during a parabolic flight. Gastrocnemius medialis (GM) electromyographic activity and fascicle length (Lf) were measured at drop-off, ground contact (GC), minimum ankle joint angle (MAJ), and push-off. GM sarcomere number was estimated by dividing Lf, measured by ultrasound at rest, by published data on GM sarcomere length, and measured in vivo at the same joint angle. Changes in sarcomere length were estimated by dividing GM Lf in each jump phase by sarcomere number calculated individually. The sarcomere force-generating capacity in each jump phase was estimated from the sarcomere length-tension relationship previously reported in the literature.

Results: The results showed that, regardless of the gravity level, GM sarcomeres operated in the ascending portion of their length-tension relationship in all the jump phases. Interestingly, although in hypo-gravity and hyper-gravity during the braking phase (GC-MAJ) GM fascicles and sarcomeres experienced a stretch (as opposed to the quasi-isometric behavior in 1 g), at MAJ they reached similar lengths as in 1 g, allowing sarcomeres to develop about the 70% of their maximum force.

Conclusion: The observed fascicle behavior during drop jumping seems useful for anchoring the tendon, enabling storage of elastic energy and its release in the subsequent push-off phase for effectively re-bouncing in all gravity levels, suggesting that an innate neuromuscular wisdom enables to perform SSC movements also in challenging conditions.

Why exercise builds muscles: titin mechanosensing controls skeletal muscle growth under load

Muscles sense internally generated and externally applied forces, responding to these in a coordinated hierarchical manner at different timescales. The center of the basic unit of the muscle, the sarcomeric M-band, is perfectly placed to sense the different types of load to which the muscle is subjected. In particular, the kinase domain of titin (TK) located at the M-band is a known candidate for mechanical signaling. Here, we develop a quantitative mathematical model that describes the kinetics of TK-based mechanosensitive signaling and predicts trophic changes in response to exercise and rehabilitation regimes. First, we build the kinetic model for TK conformational changes under force: opening, phosphorylation, signaling, and autoinhibition. We find that TK opens as a metastable mechanosensitive switch, which naturally produces a much greater signal after high-load resistance exercise than an equally energetically costly endurance effort. Next, for the model to be stable and give coherent predictions, in particular for the lag after the onset of an exercise regime, we have to account for the associated kinetics of phosphate (carried by ATP) and for the nonlinear dependence of protein synthesis rates on muscle fiber size. We suggest that the latter effect may occur via the steric inhibition of ribosome diffusion through the sieve-like myofilament lattice. The full model yields a steady-state solution (homeostasis) for muscle cross-sectional area and tension and, a quantitatively plausible hypertrophic response to training, as well as atrophy after an extended reduction in tension.

Muscle and tendon adaptations to moderate load eccentric vs. concentric resistance exercise in young and older males

Resistance exercise training (RET) is well-known to counteract negative age-related changes in both muscle and tendon tissue. Traditional RET consists of both concentric (CON) and eccentric (ECC) contractions; nevertheless, isolated ECC contractions are metabolically less demanding and, thus, may be more suitable for older populations. However, whether submaximal (60% 1RM) CON or ECC contractions differ in their effectiveness is relatively unknown. Further, whether the time course of muscle and tendon adaptations differs to the above is also unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to establish the time course of muscle and tendon adaptations to submaximal CON and ECC RET. Twenty healthy young (24.5 ± 5.1 years) and 17 older males (68.1 ± 2.4 years) were randomly allocated to either isolated CON or ECC RET which took place 3/week for 8 weeks. Tendon biomechanical properties, muscle architecture and maximal voluntary contraction were assessed every 2 weeks and quadriceps muscle volume every 4 weeks. Positive changes in tendon Young's modulus were observed after 4 weeks in all groups after which adaptations in young males plateaued but continued to increase in older males, suggesting a dampened rate of adaptation with age. However, both CON and ECC resulted in similar overall changes in tendon Young's modulus, in all groups. Muscle hypertrophy and strength increases were similar between CON and ECC in all groups. However, pennation angle increases were greater in CON, and fascicle length changes were greater in ECC. Notably, muscle and tendon adaptations appeared to occur in synergy, presumably to maintain the efficacy of the muscle-tendon unit.

Sarcomere length measurement reliability in single myofibrils

Sarcomere length non-uniformities occur at all structural levels of skeletal muscles and have been associated with important mechanical properties. Changes in sarcomere length non-uniformities in the nano- and sub-nanometer range have been used to explain muscle properties and contractile mechanisms. Typically, these measurements rely on light microscopy with a limited spatial resolution. One critical aspect in sarcomere length determination is the relatively arbitrary choice of intensity thresholds used to delineate sarcomere structures, such as A-bands or Z-lines. In experiments, these structures are typically distorted, intensity profiles vary, and baselines drift, resulting in asymmetric intensity patterns, causing changes in the centroid location of these structures depending on threshold choice, resulting in changes of sarcomere lengths. The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in (half-) sarcomere lengths associated with small changes in the A-band threshold choice. Sarcomere and half-sarcomere length changes for minute variations in A-band threshold were 28 nm (±28 nm) and 18 nm (±22 nm), respectively, and for the entire feasible range of thresholds across A-bands were 123 nm (±88 nm) and 99 nm (±105 nm), respectively. We conclude from these results that (half-) sarcomere lengths in the nanometer range obtained with light microcopy are noise, and the functional implications associated with such data should be discarded. We suggest that a functional resolution for sarcomere length of 100 nm (0.1 µm) is reasonable and 50 nm (0.05 µm) might be possible under ideal conditions.

Aquatic Training after Joint Immobilization in Rats Promotes Adaptations in Myotendinous Junctions

The myotendinous junction (MTJ) is the muscle-tendon interface and constitutes an integrated mechanical unit to force transmission. Joint immobilization promotes muscle atrophy via disuse, while physical exercise can be used as an adaptative stimulus. In this study, we aimed to investigate the components of the MTJ and their adaptations and the associated elements triggered with aquatic training after joint immobilization. Forty-four male Wistar rats were divided into sedentary (SD), aquatic training (AT), immobilization (IM), and immobilization/aquatic training (IMAT) groups. The samples were processed to measure fiber area, nuclear fractal dimension, MTJ nuclear density, identification of telocytes, sarcomeres, and MTJ perimeter length. In the AT group, the maintenance of ultrastructure and elements in the MTJ region were observed; the IM group presented muscle atrophy effects with reduced MTJ perimeter; the IMAT group demonstrated that aquatic training after joint immobilization promotes benefits in the muscle fiber area and fractal dimension, in the MTJ region shows longer sarcomeres and MTJ perimeter. We identified the presence of telocytes in the MTJ region in all experimental groups. We concluded that aquatic training is an effective rehabilitation method after joint immobilization due to reduced muscle atrophy and regeneration effects on MTJ in rats.

Structure-Function Relationships in Muscle Fibres: MyoRobot online Assessment of Muscle Fibre Elasticity and Sarcomere Length Distributions

OBJECTIVE

Muscle biomechanics is set by the spacing of repetitive striation patterns of individual sarcomeres within single muscle fibres of stacked myofibrils. Sarcomere lengths (SL) are rather unequally distributed than of equal distance. This non-uniformity may affect both, force production as well as passive-elastic deformation. However, online recording of SL during axially imposed strains is cumbersome due to a lack of compact technologies.

METHODS

To fuse SL pattern recognition with restoration force assessments during quasi-static axial stretch, we implemented live tracking of SL distributions simultaneous to voice-coil actuated stretch and restoration force recordings in our MyoRobot 2.0 automated biomechatronics platform. Both were obtained online during stretchrelaxation cycles of murine single muscle fibres.

RESULTS

Under quasi-static stretch conditions (∼1 μm/s fibre length changes), almost no apparent hysteresis was detected in single fibres. SL showed a non-uniform distribution. While mean SL varied between 2.6 μm and 3.4 μm upon 140% stretch, two populations of fibres were noticed: one showing a minor change in SL distribution with stretch, and one becoming more equally distributed upon stretch.

CONCLUSION

A roughly 5% SL variability under rest either diminishes or remains almost unaltered upon elastic axial deformation. This may reflect differential impact of mostly extra-sarcomeric components to stretch in this stretch range.

SIGNIFICANCE

The augmented functionality of the MyoRobot 2.0 towards online sarcomere analyses within single fibres shall provide a valuable tool for the muscle community to study the contribution of serial elastic and force producing elements in health and disease models.

Discovering fiber type architecture over the entire muscle using data-driven analysis

Skeletal muscle function is inferred from the spatial arrangement of muscle fiber architecture, which corresponds to myofiber molecular and metabolic features. Myofiber features are often determined using immunofluorescence on a local sampling, typically obtained from a median region. This median region is assumed to represent the entire muscle. However, it remains largely unknown to what extent this local sampling represents the entire muscle. We present a pipeline to study the architecture of muscle fiber features over the entire muscle, including sectioning, staining, imaging to image quantification and data‐driven analysis with Myofiber type were identified by the expression of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms, representing contraction properties. We reconstructed muscle architecture from consecutive cross‐sections stained for laminin and MyHC isoforms. Examining the entire muscle using consecutive cross‐sections is extremely laborious, we provide consideration to reduce the dataset without loosing spatial information. Data‐driven analysis with over 150,000 myofibers showed spatial variations in myofiber geometric features, myofiber type, and the distribution of neuromuscular junctions over the entire muscle. We present a workflow to study histological changes over the entire muscle using high‐throughput imaging, image quantification, and data‐driven analysis. Our results suggest that asymmetric spatial distribution of these features over the entire muscle could impact muscle function. Therefore, instead of a single sampling from a median region, representative regions covering the entire muscle should be investigated in future studies.

The Energy of Muscle Contraction. III. Kinetic Energy During Cyclic Contractions

During muscle contraction, chemical energy is converted to mechanical energy when ATP is hydrolysed during cross-bridge cycling. This mechanical energy is then distributed and stored in the tissue as the muscle deforms or is used to perform external work. We previously showed how energy is distributed through contracting muscle during fixed-end contractions; however, it is not clear how the distribution of tissue energy is altered by the kinetic energy of muscle mass during dynamic contractions. In this study we conducted simulations of a 3D continuum muscle model that accounts for tissue mass, as well as force-velocity effects, in which the muscle underwent sinusoidal work-loop contractions coupled with bursts of excitation. We found that increasing muscle size, and therefore mass, increased the kinetic energy per unit volume of the muscle. In addition to greater relative kinetic energy per cycle, relatively more energy was also stored in the aponeurosis, and less was stored in the base material, which represented the intra and extracellular tissue components apart from the myofibrils. These energy changes in larger muscles due to greater mass were associated lower mass-specific mechanical work output per cycle, and this reduction in mass-specific work was greatest for smaller initial pennation angles. When we compared the effects of mass on the model tissue behaviour to that of in situ muscle with added mass during comparable work-loop trials, we found that greater mass led to lower maximum and higher minimum acceleration in the longitudinal (x) direction near the middle of the muscle compared to at the non-fixed end, which indicates that greater mass contributes to tissue non-uniformity in whole muscle. These comparable results for the simulated and in situ muscle also show that this modelling framework behaves in ways that are consistent with experimental muscle. Overall, the results of this study highlight that muscle mass is an important determinant of whole muscle behaviour.

Sarcomere length of the vastus intermedius with the knee joint angle change

The force-length relation of the skeletal muscles is an important factor influencing the joint torque at a given joint angle. We aimed to clarify the relationship between the resting sarcomere length and knee joint angle in the vastus intermedius (VI) and to compare it with that of the vastus lateralis (VL). The left and right legs were fixed at knee joint angles of 0° and 90°, respectively, in seven cadavers (age at the time of death: 70-91 years). Muscle tissues were dissected by necropsy of the VL and the VI, and electron microscopy images were obtained to calculate the sarcomere length. At knee joint angles of 0° and 90°, the VL sarcomere length was 2.28 ± 0.49 μm and 2.30 ± 0.48 μm, respectively, and the VI sarcomere length was 2.19 ± 0.35 μm and 2.46 ± 0.53 μm, respectively, with a significant difference between the two (p = 0.028). The magnitude of sarcomere length changes with knee joint angle changes was significantly greater for the VI (0.27 ± 0.20 μm) than for the VL (0.02 ± 0.09 μm) (p = 0.009). Thus, knee joint angle changes may affect the passive and active tension produced by the VI more than those produced by the VL.

Sex-Related Differences After a Single Bout of Maximal Eccentric Exercise in Response to Acute Effects: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Morawetz, D, Blank, C, Koller, A, Arvandi, M, Siebert, U, and Schobersberger, W. Sex-related differences after a single bout of maximal eccentric exercise in response to acute effects: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res 34(9): 2697-2707, 2020-The most prominent effects after unaccustomed eccentric exercise are muscle damage, muscle soreness, strength loss, and higher concentrations of muscle proteins in the plasma. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate sex-related differences in these acute effects. A systematic literature search in MEDLINE following the PRISMA guidelines was performed. Inclusion criteria were the difference in absolute outcomes between sexes in eccentric muscle strength, strength loss after eccentric exercise, blood concentrations of creatine kinase (CK), and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Results for maximal eccentric torque and CK data were pooled using a random-effect meta-analysis. A meta-regression was conducted to explain heterogeneity. Based on the 23 included trials, men showed significantly higher absolute eccentric strength. No sex-related differences were detected when normalizing strength for body mass, cross-sectional area of the muscle, or fat-free mass. Women displayed a tendency toward greater relative strength loss immediately after exercise. The absolute CK concentrations of men were significantly higher after exercise-induced muscle damage. No significant difference was found between sexes in DOMS. Untrained men and women display similar responses in all measures of relative muscle strength and DOMS. Apart from the enzymatic activity after exercise and the levels of absolute eccentric torque, there is no evidence for sex-related differences immediately after eccentric exercise. Therefore, eccentric training might have the same impact on men and women. One potential sex difference with practical relevance would be the possible difference in fatigue pattern immediately after eccentric exercise.

An insight on Drosophila myogenesis and its assessment techniques

Movement assisted by muscles forms the basis of various behavioural traits seen in Drosophila. Myogenesis involves developmental processes like cellular specification, differentiation, migration, fusion, adherence to tendons and neuronal innervation in a series of coordinated event well defined in body space and time. Gene regulatory networks are switched on-off, fine tuning at the right developmental stage to assist each cellular event. Drosophila is a holometabolous organism that undergoes myogenesis waves at two developmental stages, and is ideal for comparative analysis of the role of genes and genetic pathways conserved across phyla. In this review we have summarized myogenic events from the embryo to adult focussing on the somatic muscle development during the early embryonic stage and then on indirect flight muscles (IFM) formation required for adult life, emphasizing on recent trends of analysing muscle mutants and advances in Drosophila muscle biology.

Harmonic optical tomography of nonlinear structures

Second-harmonic generation microscopy is a valuable label-free modality for imaging non-centrosymmetric structures and has important biomedical applications from live-cell imaging to cancer diagnosis. Conventional second-harmonic generation microscopy measures intensity signals that originate from tightly focused laser beams, preventing researchers from solving the scattering inverse problem for second-order nonlinear materials. Here, we present harmonic optical tomography (HOT) as a novel modality for imaging microscopic, nonlinear and inhomogeneous objects. The HOT principle of operation relies on inter-ferometrically measuring the complex harmonic field and using a scattering inverse model to reconstruct the three-dimensional distribution of harmonophores. HOT enables strong axial sectioning via the momentum conservation of spatially and temporally broadband fields. We illustrate the HOT operation with experiments and reconstructions on a beta-barium borate crystal and various biological specimens. Although our results involve second-order nonlinear materials, we show that this approach applies to any coherent nonlinear process.

The Time-Course of Changes in Muscle Mass, Architecture and Power During 6 Weeks of Plyometric Training

Purpose

To investigate the time-course of changes in knee-extensors muscle mass, architecture and function in response to plyometric training (PLT) performed on a novel training device, the Tramp-Trainer. This machine consists in a trampoline connected to an inclined sledge which allows the performance of repeated jumps while the subject is sitting on a chair.

Methods

Eight healthy males (173.6 ± 4.7 cm, 69.7 ± 13.5 kg, 25.3 ± 4.6 years) underwent 6 weeks of bilateral PLT on the tramp-trainer machine. Training was performed three times per week (between 120 and 150 bounces per session). Knee-extensor maximum voluntary torque (MVT) and power, quadriceps femoris (QF) volume (VOL), cross-sectional area from the 20% to the 60% of femur length and CSA_mean, together with vastus lateralis (VL) architecture (fascicle length, Lf, and pennation angle, PA) were assessed after 2, 4, and 6 weeks of PLT.

Results

All results are presented as changes versus baseline values. MVT increased by 17.8% (week 2, p < 0.001) and 22.2% (week 4, p < 0.01), respectively, and declined to 13.3% (p < 0.05) at week 6 of PLT. Power increased by 18.2% (week 4, p < 0.05) and 19.7% (week 6, p < 0.05). QF VOL increased by 4.7% (week 4, p < 0.05) and 5.8% (week 6, p < 0.01); VL VOL increased by 5.2%, (p < 0.05), 8.2%, (p < 0.01), and 9.6% (p < 0.05) at weeks 2, 4, and 6, respectively. An increase in Lf was detected already at wk 2 (2.2%, p < 0.05), with further increase at 4 and 6 weeks of PLT (4 and 4.4%, respectively, p < 0.01). PA increased by 5.8% (p < 0.05) at week 6. Significant positive correlations were found between CSA_mean and Power (R² = 0.46, p < 0.001) and between QF VOL and Power (R² = 0.44, p < 0.024).

Conclusions

PLT induced rapid increases in muscle volume, fascicle length, pennation angle, torque and power in healthy younger adults. Notably, changes in VL VOL and Lf were detectable already after 2 weeks, followed by increases in knee extensors VOL and power from week 4 of PLT. Since the increase in CSA_mean and QF VOL cannot fully explain the increment in muscle power, it is likely that other factors (such as adaptations in neural drive or tendon mechanical properties) may have contributed to such fucntional changes.

Principles of the Mechanism for Epimuscular Myofascial Loads Leading to Non-uniform Strain Distributions Along Muscle Fiber Direction: Finite Element Modeling

Sarcomere lengths and their changes are key determinants of muscle active force production. Recent studies indicate inhomogeneity of sarcomere lengths within the muscle. Studies utilizing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analyses for quantifying local muscle tissue strains and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) analyses allowing for determination of their components along muscle fascicles show that those length changes can be non-uniform. Specifically, two questions arise regarding the muscle’s length change heterogeneities along the muscle fiber direction: (1) How can a passively lengthened muscle show shortened regions? (2) How can an isometric contracting muscle show lengthened parts? Using finite element modeling and studying principles of the mechanism of strain heterogeneity along the muscle fiber direction, the aim was to test the following hypothesis: epimuscular myofascial loads can lead locally to strains opposing those elsewhere within the muscle that are determined by the globally imposed conditions. The geometry of the model was defined by the contour of a longitudinal slice of the rat extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle belly. Three models were studied: (1) isolated muscle (muscle modeled fully isolated from its surroundings) and models aiming at representing the principles of a muscle in its in vivo context including (2) extramuscularly connected muscle (muscle’s connections to non-muscular structures are modeled exclusively) and (3) epimuscularly connected muscle (additionally muscle’s connections to neighboring muscle are modeled). Three cases were studied: passive isometric muscle with imposed relative position change (Case I), passive lengthened muscle (Case II), and active isometric muscle with imposed relative position change (Case III). The findings indicated non-uniform strains for all models except for zero strain in model (1) in Case I, but models (2) and (3) also showed strains opposing the imposed effect. Case I: model (3) showed shortened and lengthened sections (up to 35.3%), caused exclusively by imposed relative position change. Case II: models (2) and (3) showed shortened sections (up to 12.7 and 19.5%, respectively) in addition to lengthened sections. Case III: models (2) and (3) showed lengthened sections (up to 5 and 23.4%, respectively) in addition to shortened sections. These effects get more pronounced with stiffer epimuscular connections. Assessments of forces exerted on the muscle by the epimuscular connections showed that such strain heterogeneities are ascribed to epimuscular myofascial loads determined by muscle relative position changes.

Repercussions on sarcomeres of the myotendinous junction and the myofibrillar type adaptations in response to different trainings on vertical ladder

The myofibrillary types establish to the skeletal muscle functional and adaptive properties that influence the sarcomeric arrangement during muscle contraction and may have repercussions on an important related force transmission region of the locomotor apparatus, the myotendinous junction (MTJ). This study aimed to describe changes in myofibrillary type and sarcomeric lengths in the belly muscle and MTJ of the soleus and plantaris muscles associated with training protocols in vertical ladder. Thirty adults male Wistar rats were divided into three groups (n = 10): Control (CTR), No-load Training (NLT), and Load Training (LT). Morphoquantitative analysis of different fibers types and sarcomere lengths were performed in distinct regions of plantaris and soleus muscles. In the plantaris muscle with both trainings, there was an increase in the cross-sectional area (CSA) in Type I and II fibers (p < .0001) while sarcomeric lengths revealed greater lengths in the proximal and distal sarcomeres of NLT, although in the LT we found greater lengths in the belly and MTJ sarcomeres. The soleus muscle showed an increase in CSA muscle fiber only in the NLT (p < .0001) and revealed alterations in belly and MTJ sarcomere lengths with training. We concluded that plantaris muscle has an adaptive effect directly associated with training load, with hypertrophy in both trainings and sarcomere length inverse from belly and MTJ, in LT associated with increased force generation and transmission at the MTJ, although soleus muscle has a lower adaptive response to training stimuli with variation in the belly and distal sarcomere of the MTJ.

Sarcomere Lengths Become More Uniform Over Time in Intact Muscle-Tendon Unit During Isometric Contractions

The seemingly uniform striation pattern of skeletal muscles, quantified in terms of sarcomere lengths (SLs), is inherently non-uniform across all hierarchical levels. The SL non-uniformity theory has been used to explain the force creep in isometric contractions, force depression following shortening of activated muscle, and residual force enhancement following lengthening of activated muscle. Our understanding of sarcomere contraction dynamics has been derived primarily from in vitro experiments using regular bright-field light microscopy or laser diffraction techniques to measure striation/diffraction patterns in isolated muscle fibers or myofibrils. However, the collagenous extracellular matrices present around the muscle fibers, as well as the complex architecture in the whole muscles may lead to different contraction dynamics of sarcomeres than seen in the in vitro studies. Here, we used multi-photon excitation microscopy to visualize in situ individual sarcomeres in intact muscle tendon units (MTUs) of mouse tibialis anterior (TA), and quantified the temporal changes of SL distribution as a function of SLs in relaxed and maximally activated muscles for quasi-steady state, fixed-end isometric conditions. The corresponding muscle forces were simultaneously measured using a force transducer. We found that SL non-uniformity, quantified by the coefficient of variation (CV) of SLs, decreased at a rate of 1.9–3.1%/s in the activated muscles, but remained constant in the relaxed muscles. The force loss during the quasi-steady state likely did not play a role in the decrease of SL non-uniformity, as similar force losses were found in the activated and relaxed muscles, but the CV of SLs in the relaxed muscles underwent negligible change over time. We conclude that sarcomeres in the mid-belly of maximally contracting whole muscles constantly re-organize their lengths into a more uniform pattern over time. The molecular mechanisms accounting for SL non-uniformity appear to differ in active and passive muscles, and need further elucidation, as do the functional implications of the SL non-uniformity.

Exploring the Factors Contributing to the High Ultimate pH of Broiler Pectoralis Major Muscles Affected by Wooden Breast Condition

The elevated ultimate pH (pH u ) found in wooden breast (WB) meat suggests an altered muscular energetic status in WB but also could be related to a prematurely terminated post-mortem pH decline. The aims of this study were to explore the factors contributing to the elevated pH u and establish whether the occurrence of WB defect alters muscle post-mortem carbohydrate metabolism and determine if the contractile apparatus reflects such changes. A total of 24 carcasses from Ross 308 male chickens were obtained from a commercial producer and harvested using commercial processing procedures. Carcasses were categorized into unaffected (NORM) and WB groups (n = 12 each), and samples were collected from cranial bone-in pectoralis major (PM) muscles at 15 min and 24 h post-mortem for the determination of pH, glycolytic metabolites, adenonucleotides, buffering capacity, phosphofructokinase (PFK) activity, and in vitro pH decline. Twenty-four additional deboned PM samples (12 NORM and 12 WB) were collected from the same processing plant to assess muscle histology and sarcomere length at four different locations throughout the PM muscle. Data show that the reduced glycolytic potential of WB muscles only partially explains the higher (P < 0.001) pH u of WB meat, as residual glycogen along with unaltered PFK activity suggests that neither glycogen nor a deficiency of PFK is responsible for arresting glycolysis prematurely. The dramatic reduction in ATP concentrations in the early post-mortem period suggests a defective ATP-generating pathway that might be responsible for the reduced pH decline in WB samples. Further, the addition of excess of ATPase extended post-mortem glycolysis of WB meat in an in vitro glycolytic system. WB-affected samples have longer (P < 0.001) sarcomeres compared to NORM, indicating the existence of compromised energy-generating pathways in myopathic muscles that may have had consequences on the muscle contraction and tension development, as in vivo, also during the post-mortem period. Considering the overall reduced glycolytic potential and the myodegenerative processes associated with WB condition, we speculate that the higher pH u of WB meat might be the outcome of a drastically impaired energy-generating pathway combined with a deficiency and/or a dysfunction of muscle ATPases, having consequences also on muscle fiber contraction degree.

The sarcomere force-length relationship in an intact muscle-tendon unit

The periodic striation pattern in skeletal muscle reflects the length of the basic contractile unit: the sarcomere. More than half a century ago, Gordon, Huxley and Julian provided strong support for the 'sliding filament' theory through experiments with single muscle fibres. The sarcomere force-length (FL) relationship has since been extrapolated to whole muscles in an attempt to unravel in vivo muscle function. However, these extrapolations were frequently associated with non-trivial assumptions, such as muscle length changes corresponding linearly to SL changes. Here, we determined the in situ sarcomere FL relationship in a whole muscle preparation by simultaneously measuring muscle force and individual SLs in an intact muscle-tendon unit (MTU) using state-of-the-art multi-photon excitation microscopy. We found that despite great SL non-uniformity, the mean value of SLs measured from a minute volume of the mid-belly, equivalent to about 5×10-6% of the total muscle volume, agrees well with the theoretically predicted FL relationship, but only if the precise contractile filament lengths are known, and if passive forces from parallel elastic components and activation-associated sarcomere shortening are considered properly. As SLs are not uniformly distributed across the whole muscle and changes in SL with muscle length are location dependent, our results may not be valid for the proximal or distal parts of the muscle. The approach described here, and our findings, may encourage future studies to determine the role of SL non-uniformity in influencing sarcomere FL properties in different muscles and for different locations within single muscles.

Mixing it up: the biological significance of hybrid skeletal muscle fibers

Skeletal muscle fibers are classified according to the myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms and other myofibrillar proteins expressed within these cells. In addition to 'pure' fibers expressing single MHC isoforms, many fibers are 'hybrids' that co-express two or more different isoforms of MHC or other myofibrillar proteins. Although hybrid fibers have been recognized by muscle biologists for more than three decades, uncertainty persists about their prevalence in normal muscles, their role in fiber-type transitions, and what they might tell us about fiber-type regulation at the cellular and molecular levels. This Review summarizes current knowledge on the relative abundance of hybrid fibers in a variety of muscles from different species. Data from more than 150 muscles from 39 species demonstrate that hybrid fibers are common, frequently representing 25% or more of the fibers in normal muscles. Hybrid fibers appear to have two main roles: (1) they function as intermediates during the fiber-type transitions associated with skeletal muscle development, adaptation to exercise and aging; and (2) they provide a functional continuum of fiber phenotypes, as they possess physiological properties that are intermediate to those of pure fiber types. One aspect of hybrid fibers that is not widely recognized is that fiber-type asymmetries - such as dramatic differences in the MHC composition along the length of single fibers - appear to be a common aspect of many fibers. The final section of this Review examines the possible role of differential activities of nuclei in different myonuclear domains in establishing fiber-type asymmetries.

Effects of physical training on sarcomere lengths and muscle-tendon interface of the cervical region in an experimental model of menopause

The aim of this study was to describe the structural and ultrastructural aspects of the myotendinous junction (MTJ) and the proximal and distal sarcomeres of the sternomastoid of aged Wistar rats subjected to an experimental model of menopause and swimming training. A total of 20 female elderly rats were divided into the following four groups (n=5 in each group): sedentary/no-menopausal (SNM), trained/no-menopausal (TNM), sedentary/menopausal (SM), and trained/menopausal (TM). The MTJ samples were dissected and analyzed using transmission electron microscopy. We showed that the TNM Group rats exhibited changes in morphological characteristics as a consequence of physical exercise, which included an increase of 36.60% (P<0.001) in the evagination length of the MTJ and a reduction in the length of the distal (77.38%) (P<0.0001) and proximal (68.15%) (P<0.0001) sarcomeres. The SM Group exhibited a reduction of about 275.93% (P<0.001) in the muscle-tendon interface and in the lengths of distal sarcomeres (55.87%) (P<0.0001) compared with SNM Group. Our results suggest that the swimming training under experimental model of menopause promoted tissue reorganization and increased muscle-tendon interaction with a drastic development in the length and thickness of the sarcoplasmatic invaginations and evaginations. In addition, the sarcomeres exhibited different lengths and a reduction in both groups subjected to swimming training.

Relationship of muscle morphology to hip displacement in cerebral palsy: a pilot study investigating changes intrinsic to the sarcomere

BACKGROUND

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common cause of childhood disability, typified by a static encephalopathy with peripheral musculoskeletal manifestations-most commonly related to spasticity-that are progressive with age. Hip displacement is one of the most common manifestations, observed to lead to painful degenerative arthritis over time. Despite the key role that spasticity-related adductor muscle contractures are thought to play in the development of hip displacement in CP, basic science research in this area to date has been limited. This study was initiated to correlate hip adductor muscle changes intrinsic to the sarcomere-specifically, titin isoforms and sarcomere length-to the severity of hip displacement in children with spastic cerebral palsy.

METHODS

Single gracilis muscle biopsies were obtained from children with CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) III-V; n = 10) who underwent adductor muscle release surgery for the treatment of hip displacement. Gel electrophoresis was used to estimate titin molecular weight. Sarcomere lengths were measured from muscle fascicles using laser diffraction. The severity of hip displacement was determined by measuring by Reimers migration percentage (MP) from anteroposterior pelvic x-rays. Correlation analyses between titin, sarcomere lengths, and MP were performed.

RESULTS

The mean molecular weight of titin was 3588 kDa. The mean sarcomere length was 3.51 μm. Increased MP was found to be associated with heavier isoforms of titin (R2 = 0.65, p < 0.05) and with increased sarcomere lengths (R2 = 0.65, p < 0.05). Heavier isoforms of titin were also associated with increased sarcomere lengths (R2 = 0.80, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that both larger titin isoforms and sarcomere lengths are positively correlated with increased severity of hip displacement and may represent adaptations in response to concomitant increases in spasticity and muscle shortening.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

As this study does not report the results of a health care intervention on human participants, it has not been registered.

On the Shape of the Force-Velocity Relationship in Skeletal Muscles: The Linear, the Hyperbolic, and the Double-Hyperbolic

The shape of the force-velocity (F-V) relationship has important implications for different aspects of muscle physiology, such as muscle efficiency and fatigue, the understanding of the pathophysiology of several myopathies or the mechanisms of muscle contraction per se, and may be of relevance for other fields, such as the development of robotics and prosthetic applications featuring natural muscle-like properties. However, different opinions regarding the shape of the F-V relationship and the underlying mechanisms exist in the literature. In this review, we summarize relevant evidence on the shape of the F-V relationship obtained over the last century. Studies performed at multiple scales ranging from the sarcomere to the organism level have described the concentric F-V relationship as linear, hyperbolic or double-hyperbolic. While the F-V relationship has most frequently been described as a rectangular hyperbola, a large number of studies have found deviations from the hyperbolic function at both ends of the F-V relation. Indeed, current evidence suggests that the F-V relation in skeletal muscles follows a double-hyperbolic pattern, with a breakpoint located at very high forces/low velocities, which may be a direct consequence of the kinetic properties of myofilament cross-bridge formation. Deviations at low forces/high velocities, by contrast, may be related to a recently discovered, calcium-independent regulatory mechanism of muscle contraction, which may also explain the low metabolic cost of very fast muscle shortening contractions. Controversial results have also been reported regarding the eccentric F-V relationship, with studies in prepared muscle specimens suggesting that maximum eccentric force is substantially greater than isometric force, whereas in vivo studies in humans show only a modest increase, no change, or even a decrease in force in lengthening contractions. This review discusses possible reasons reported in the literature for these discrepant findings, including the testing procedures (familiarization, pre-load condition, and temperature) and a potential neural inhibition at higher lengthening velocities. Finally, some unresolved questions and recommendations for F-V testing in humans are reported at the end of this document.

Culturing C2C12 myotubes on micromolded gelatin hydrogels accelerates myotube maturation

Background

Skeletal muscle contributes to roughly 40% of lean body mass, and its loss contributes to morbidity and mortality in a variety of pathogenic conditions. Significant insights into muscle function have been made using cultured cells, in particular, the C2C12 myoblast line. However, differentiation of these cells in vitro typically yields immature myotubes relative to skeletal muscles in vivo. While many efforts have attempted to improve the maturity of cultured myotubes, including the use of bioengineered substrates, lack of molecular characterization has precluded their widespread implementation. This study characterizes morphological, molecular, and transcriptional features of C2C12 myotubes cultured on crosslinked, micropatterned gelatin substrates fabricated using previously established methods and compares them to myotubes grown on unpatterned gelatin or traditional plasticware.

Methods

We used immunocytochemistry, SDS-PAGE, and RNAseq to characterize C2C12 myotubes grown on micropatterned gelatin hydrogels, unpatterned gelatin hydrogels, and typical cell culture substrates (i.e., plastic or collagen-coated glass) across a differentiation time course. The ability to form aligned sarcomeres and myofilament protein concentration was assessed. Additionally, the transcriptome was analyzed across the differentiation time course.

Results

C2C12 myotubes grown on micropatterned gelatin hydrogels display an increased ability to form aligned sarcomeres as well as increased contractile protein content relative to myotubes cultured on unpatterned gelatin and plastic. Additionally, genes related to sarcomere formation and in vivo muscle maturation are upregulated in myotubes grown on micropatterned gelatin hydrogels relative to control myotubes.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that growing C2C12 myotubes on micropatterned gelatin hydrogels accelerates sarcomere formation and yields a more fully matured myotube culture. Thus, the use of micropatterned hydrogels is a viable and simple approach to better model skeletal muscle biology in vitro.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13395-019-0203-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Passive force enhancement in striated muscle

Passive force enhancement is defined as the increase in passive, steady-state, isometric force of an actively stretched muscle compared with the same muscle stretched passively to that same length. Passive force enhancement is long lasting, increases with increasing muscle length and increasing stretch magnitudes, contributes to the residual force enhancement in skeletal and cardiac muscle, and is typically only observed at muscle lengths at which passive forces occur naturally. Passive force enhancement is typically equal to or smaller than the total residual force enhancement, it persists when a muscle is deactivated and reactivated, but can be abolished instantaneously when a muscle is shortened quickly from its stretched length. There is strong evidence that the passive force enhancement is caused by the filamentous sarcomeric protein titin, although the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying passive force enhancement remain unknown. Here I propose a tentative mechanism based on experimental evidence that associates passive force enhancement with the shortening of titin's free spring length in the I-band region of sarcomeres. I suggest that this shortening is accomplished by titin binding to actin and that the trigger for titin-actin interactions is associated with the formation of strongly bound cross bridges between actin and myosin that exposes actin attachment sites for titin through movement of the regulatory proteins troponin and tropomyosin.

Significance of epimuscular myofascial force transmission under passive muscle conditions

In the past 20 yr, force transmission via connective tissue linkages at the muscle belly surface, called epimuscular myofascial force transmission, has been studied extensively. In this article, the effects of epimuscular linkages under passive muscle conditions are reviewed. Several animal studies that included direct (invasive) measurements of force transmission have shown that different connective tissue structures serve as an epimuscular pathway and that these tissues have sufficient stiffness, especially at supraphysiological muscle lengths and relative positions, to transmit substantial passive forces (up to 15% of active optimal force). Exact values of lumped tissue stiffness for different connective tissue structures have not yet been estimated. Experiments using various imaging techniques (ultrasound, MRI, shear wave elastography) have yielded some, but weak, evidence of epimuscular myofascial force transmission for passive muscles in humans. At this point, the functional consequences of epimuscular pathways for muscle and joint mechanics in the intact body are still unknown. Potentially, however, these pathways may affect sensory feedback and, thereby, neuromuscular control. In addition, altered epimuscular force transmission in pathological conditions may also contribute to changes in passive range of joint motion.

Passive changes in muscle length

This review, the first in a series of minireviews on the passive mechanical properties of skeletal muscles, seeks to summarize what is known about the muscle deformations that allow relaxed muscles to lengthen and shorten. Most obviously, when a muscle lengthens, muscle fascicles elongate, but this is not the only mechanism by which muscles change their length. In pennate muscles, elongation of muscle fascicles is accompanied by changes in pennation and changes in fascicle curvature, both of which may contribute to changes in muscle length. The contributions of these mechanisms to change in muscle length are usually small under passive conditions. In very pennate muscles with long aponeuroses, fascicle shear could contribute substantially to changes in muscle length. Tendons experience moderate axial strains even under passive loads, and, because tendons are often much longer than muscle fibers, even moderate tendon strains may contribute substantially to changes in muscle length. Data obtained with new imaging techniques suggest that muscle fascicle and aponeurosis strains are highly nonuniform, but this is yet to be confirmed. The development, validation, and interpretation of continuum muscle models informed by rigorous measurements of muscle architecture and material properties should provide further insights into the mechanisms that allow relaxed muscles to lengthen and shorten.

Bouncing Back! Counteracting Muscle Aging With Plyometric Muscle Loading

The preservation of muscle power is crucial in aging for maintaining mobility and performing daily tasks. Resistance training involving high movement velocities represents a valid strategy to slow down the rate of sarcopenia, counteracting the loss of muscle mass and muscle power. Plyometric exercise may represent an effective training modality for increasing muscle power; however, its application in older populations has been sparingly investigated, as the high impact actions involved may reduce its feasibility for older individuals. By adopting a safer modality of plyometric training, we investigated if a 6-week plyometric training intervention could increase knee extensor muscle size, architecture, force and power in 14 young (YM, age = 25.4 ± 3.5 y; means ± SD) and nine older males (OM, age = 69.7 ± 3.4 y). Volunteers trained 3 times/week using a device similar to a leg press machine where the user was required to bounce against his body mass on a trampoline. Pre-to-post training changes in isometric maximum voluntary torque (MVT), leg extension power and vastus lateralis (VL) architecture were assessed. Muscle power increased in both groups (+27% OM -P < 0.001, 20% YM -P < 0.001), although the total external work performed during the training period was significantly lower for OM (i.e., ~-47%). Both groups showed significant increases in muscle thickness (MT) (+5.8 OM -P < 0.01 vs. +3.8% YM -P < 0.01), fascicle length (Lf) (+8% OM -P < 0.001 vs. +6% YM -P < 0.001), and pennation angle (PA) (+7.5% OM -P < 0.001 vs. +4.1% YM -P < 0.001). The current study shows that trampoline-based plyometric training is an effective intervention producing a rapid increase in muscle mass and power in both young and older individuals. The training modality used in this study seems to particularly benefit the older population, targeting the morphological and functional effects of sarcopenia in human muscle.

Different Segments within Vertebrate Muscles Can Operate on Different Regions of Their Force-Length Relationships

To relate in vivo behavior of fascicle segments within a muscle to their in vitro force-length relationships, we examined the strain behavior of paired segments within each of three vertebrate muscles. After determining in vivo muscle activity patterns and length changes of in-series segments within the semimembranosus muscle (SM) in the American Toad (Bufo americanus) during hopping and within the sternohyoid (SH) muscle in the rat (Rattus rattus) during swallowing, and of spatially separated fascicles within the medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle in the rat during trotting, we measured their corresponding in vitro (toad) or in situ (rat) force-length relationships (FLRs). For all three muscles, in vivo strain heterogeneity lasted for about 36-57% of the behavior cycle, during which one segment or fascicle shortened while the other segment or fascicle simultaneously lengthened. In the toad SM, the proximal segment shortened from the descending limb across the plateau of its FLR from 1.12 to 0.91 of its optimal length (Lo), while the distal segment lengthened (by 0.04 ± 0.04 Lo) before shortening down the ascending limb from 0.94 to 0.83 Lo. In the rat SH muscle, the proximal segment tended to shorten on its ascending limb from 0.90 to 0.85 Lo while the distal segment tended to lengthen across Lo (0.96-1.12 Lo). In the rat MG muscle, in vivo strains of proximal fascicles ranged from 0.72 to 1.02 Lo, while the distal fascicles ranged from 0.88 to 1.11 Lo. Even though the timing of muscle activation patterns were similar between segments, the heterogeneous strain patterns of fascicle segments measured in vivo coincided with different operating ranges across their FLRs simultaneously, implying differences in force-velocity behavior as well. The three vertebrate skeletal muscles represent a diversity of fiber architectures and functions and suggest that patterns of in vivo contractile strain and the operating range over the FLR in one muscle region does not necessarily represent other regions within the same muscle.

A coupled framework of in situ and in silico analysis reveals the role of lateral force transmission in force production in volumetric muscle loss injuries

Volumetric muscle loss injuries (VML) are challenging to treat because of the variability in wound location. Regenerative medicine offers promising alternative treatments, but there is little understanding of the correlation between magnitude of VML injuries and corresponding functional deficits that must be addressed. There is a need for a tool that can elucidate the relationship between VML injury and force loss, as well as the impact on specific mechanisms responsible for force production. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel coupled framework of in situ and in silico methods to more precisely understand the relationship between injury location and force production deficits. We created a three-dimensional finite-element model of the pennate latissimus dorsi (LD) muscle in the rat and validated the model experimentally. We found that the model's prediction (2.6 N/g Model I, 2.1 N/g Model V) compared favorably to in situ testing of isometric force generation of the injured rat LD muscle (2.8 ± 0.3 N/g Experimental I, 2.0 ± 0.2 N/g Experimental V). Further model analysis revealed that the contribution from lateral and longitudinal force transmission to the total force varied with injury location and led to a greater understanding of the mechanisms responsible for VML-related force deficits. In the future, the coupled computational and experimental framework can be used to inform development of preclinical VML injury models that better recapitulate the spectrum of VML injuries observed in affected patients, and the mechanistic insight can accelerate the creation of improved regenerative therapeutics for VML injuries.