Stochastic Modeling of Crossbridge Cycling

In collaboration with the Daniel laboratory (UW Biology), we design custom, coarse-grain simulations of myofilaments to study dynamic and kinetic properties of muscle contraction in silico. These stochastic simulations are driven by experimental observations and are used as tools to enhance our understanding of experimental data. In particular, we have recently developed spatially explicit models of a 3-dimensional, multiple myofilament half-sarcomere, which include the kinetics of thin filament activation coupled with cross-bridge cycling. These models have demonstrated the importance of sarcomere lattice geometry in cross-bridge recruitment and the Frank-Starling Law of the heart. Further development of these models will incorporate pathological conditions to investigate contractile characteristics of cardiac diseases.

Collaborators

  • Thomas Daniel, Ph.D., Department of Biology, University of Washington

Free Use Crossbridge Image

Figure art by Matthew Childers, Regnier Lab, University of Washington, 2023. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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