Spudich focuses on current studies in his lab to understand how mutations in cardiac myosin cause human hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). This is a disease characterized by a hyper-contractile heart and is the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest in people under 35 years old. Based on insight from a dream, Spudich realized that many of the mutations associated with HCM are in a region of the myosin molecule (the myosin mesa) that may regulate the availability of myosin heads to bind to actin and thus, regulate muscle contraction. Spudich’s lab is now working to determine the importance of the myosin mesa in regulating cardiac contractility and, in particular, its role in HCM.
View the full talk with additional resources on our website
A Brief History of Muscle Biology
James Spudich begins his talk with an early history of muscle biology and moves forward to our current understanding of the molecular basis of muscle contraction and disease. (Talk recorded in May 2017)
- Part 1: A Brief History of Muscle Biology 1864-1969Audience:
- Student
- Researcher
- Educators of H. School / Intro Undergrad
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 31:05 - Part 2: A Brief History of Muscle Biology 1969-2017Audience:
- Student
- Researcher
- Educators of H. School / Intro Undergrad
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 31:32 - Part 3: Ca 2+ Regulation of Muscle ContractionAudience:
- Researcher
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 32:23 - Part 4: Myosin Mutations and Hypertrophic CardiomyopathyAudience:
- Researcher
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 37:56