Muscular contraction provides one of the most fascinating topics for a biophysicist to study. Although muscle comprises a molecular machine whereby chemical energy is converted to mechanical work, its action in producing force is something that is readily observable in everyday life, a feature that does not apply to most other structures of biophysical inter est. In addition, muscle is so beautifully organized at the microscopic level that those important structural probes, electron microscopy (with the associated image analysis methods) and X-ray diffraction, have pro vided a wealth of information about the arrangements of the constituent proteins in a variety of muscle types. But, despite all this, the answer to the question "How does muscle work?" is still uncertain, especially with regard to the molecular events by which force is actually generated, and the question remains one of the major unsolved problems in biology. With this problem in mind, this book has been written to collect together the available evidence on the structures of the muscle fila ments and on their arrangements in different muscle cells, to extract the common structural features of these cells, and thus to attempt to define a possible series of mechanical steps that will describe at molecular resolu tion the process by which force is generated. The book cannot be considered to be an introductory text; in fact, it presents a very detailed account of muscle structure as gleaned mainly from electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction.

Defines the current status of research in the genetics, anatomy, and development of the nematode C. elegans, providing a detailed molecular explanation of how development is regulated and how the nervous system specifies varied aspects of behavior. Contains sections on the genome, development, neural networks and behavior, and life history and evolution. Appendices offer genetic nomenclature, a list of laboratory strain and allele designations, skeleton genetic maps, a list of characterized genes, a table of neurotransmitter assignments for specific neurons, and information on codon usage. Includes bandw photos. For researchers in worm studies, as well as the wider community of researchers in cell and molecular biology. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Composed of a set of chapters contributed by past and present collaborators of the Nobel laureate Sir Andrew Huxley, this book covers the areas of muscle research to which Huxley made major contributions. The purpose of the book is to discuss the way that muscles work, asking questions at a fundamental level about the molecular basis of muscle tone production and muscle contraction. The majority of the chapters are concerned with muscle physiology and the relation between structure and function. The process of activation of muscles is discussed, along with the mechanism of contraction itself. Although most of the book deals with vertebrate skeletal muscle, several chapters cover cardiac muscle. Also featured are two chapters discussing Sir Andrew's achievements in both nerve and muscle physiology.

Rewritten and redesigned, this remains the one essential text on the diseases of skeletal muscle.

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