T-GEx Associate Dr. SHINTANI A. Seine (Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Life and Health Sciences / Center for Mathematical Science and Artificial Intelligence, Chubu University) analyzed how consecutive sarcomeres—the smallest contractile units of muscle—coordinate their motion inside living cardiomyocytes.
During hyperthermal sarcomeric oscillations (HSOs), 216 of 230 detected neighboring-sarcomere phase transitions (93.9%) were “one-link switches,” in which only one of the four adjacent-pair relations changed while the other three were preserved.
Across 248 one-link events for which compensation reach could be calculated, even the same type of switch was associated with internal length redistribution over different spatial reaches. Relative shortening and relative lengthening could remain close to one another or be separated across a wider part of the observed five-sarcomere chain. Compensation reach was also broader when more neighboring pairs were in phase before the switch.
These findings reveal a mesoscale coordination process between stochastic molecular-motor activity and robust whole-cell contraction. The article was released as an Advance Publication in Biophysics and Physicobiology on July 15, 2026, and Chubu University issued a press release on July 21, 2026.
[Article information]
Journal: Biophysics and Physicobiology
Article title: Structured neighboring-sarcomere switching is coupled to variable-reach internal length redistribution during hyperthermal sarcomeric oscillations in living cardiomyocytes
Author: Seine A. Shintani
Article ID: e230024
DOI: 10.2142/biophysico.bppb-v23.0024
Chubu University press release: Click here for details (external link)
https://www.chubu.ac.jp/news/58951/
Journal article: Click here for details (external link)
https://doi.org/10.2142/biophysico.bppb-v23.0024