Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Extracellular Structures in Heart Muscle

  • Chapter
Advances in Myocardiology

Part of the book series: Advances in Myocardiology ((ADMY))

Abstract

The extracellular matrix of heart muscle contains a considerable variety of structures. We have systematically studied the morphology of these structures using several methods of fixation and microscopy. Endomysial connections between cells are comprised of struts of collagen [1] as well as combinations of elastin fibers, collagen fibers, and microfibrils. The rest of the extracellular matrix is filled with a polyanionic lattice of unit collagen fibrils, microthreads, and granules. In the course of these investigations, we have observed regions of structural continuity across the sarcolemma, from endomysial collagen struts to Z-bands. We have also correlated the mechanical resistance to stretch with orientation of epimysial collagen fibers and sarcomere lengths in living as well as fixed rat papillary muscles. Our observations suggest that the extracellular skeletal framework plays an important role in normal cardiac function.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Caulfield, J. B., and Borg, T. K. 1979. The collagen network of the heart. Lab. Invest. 40:364–372.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Bairati, A. 1937. Struttura e proprietà fisiche del sarcolemma della fibra muscolare striata. Z. Zellforsch. 27 :100–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Holmgren, E. 1907. Uber die Trophospongien der quergestreiften Muskelfasern, nebst Bemerkungen über den allgemeinen Bau dieser Fasern. Arch. Mikrosk. Anat. 71:165–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Nagel, A. 1935. Die mechanischen Eigenschaften von Perimysium internum und Sarkolemm bei der quergestreiften Muskelfaster. Z. Zellforsch. 22:695–706.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Borg, T. K., and Caulfield, J. B. 1979. Collagen in the heart. Texas Rep. Biol. Med. 39:321–333.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Borg, T. K., and Caulfield, J. B. 1981. The collagen matrix of the heart. Fed. Proc. Fed. Am. Soc. Exp. Biol. 40:2037–2041.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Borg, T. K., Ranson, W. F., Moslehy, F. A., and Caulfield, J. B. 1981. Structural basis of ventricular stiffness. Lab. Invest. 44:49–54.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Bahr, G. F., and Jennings, R. B. 1961. Ultrastructure of normal and asphyxic myocardium of the dog. Lab. Invest. 10:548–571.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Battig, C. G., and Low, F. N. 1961. The ultrasturcture of human cardiac muscle and its associated tissue space. Am. J. Anat. 108:199–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Hanak, H., and Böck, P. 1971. Die Feinstruktur der Muskel-Sehnenverbindung von Skelettund Herzmuskel. J. Ultrastrct. Res. 36:68–85.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Puff, A., and Langer, H. 1965. Das Problem der diastolischen Entfaltung der herzkammer (Eine Untersuchung über das elastische Gewebe im Myocard). Gegen. Morphol. Jahrb. 7:184–212.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Renteria, V. G., Ferrans, V. J., and Jones, M. 1976. Striated membranous structures in human hearts. Am. J. Pathol. 85(1):85–98.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Robinson, T. F. 1980. Lateral connections between heart muscle cells as revealed by conventional and high voltage transmission electron microscopy. Cell. Tissue Res. 211:353–359.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Robinson, T. F., Factor, S. M., and Sonnenblick, E. H. 1980. The skeletal framework of the heart: The hierarchical arrangement of inter- and pericellular connections. Circulation 62:111–247.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Robinson, T. F., and Winegrad, S. 1981. A variety of intercellular connections in heart muscle. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 13:185–195.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Winegrad, S., and Robinson, T. F. 1978. Force generation among cells in the relaxing heart. Eur. J. Cardiol. 7(Suppl.):63–70.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Capasso, J. M., Remily, R. M., and Sonnenblick, E. H. 1982. Alterations in mechanical properties of rat papillary muscle during maturation. Am. J. Physiol. (Heart Circ. Physiol. 11):242:H359–H364.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Saeki, Y., Sagawa, K., and Hiroyuki, S. 1978. Dynamic stiffness of cat heart muscle in Ba2+-induced contracture. Circ. Res. 42:324–333.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Henderson, A. H., Forman, R., Brutsaert, D. L., and Sonnenblick, E. H. 1971. Tetanic contraction in mammalian cardiac muscle. Cardiovasc. Res. (Suppl.) 1:96–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Simeonescu, N., and Simeonescu, M. 1976. Galloylglucoses of low molecular weight as mordant in electron microscopy. I. Procedure and evidence for mordanting effect. J. Cell Biol. 70:608–621.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Behnke, O., and Zelander, T. 1970. Preservation of intercellular substances by the cationic dye alcian blue in preparative procedures for electron microscopy. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 31:424–438.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Luft, J. H. 1971. Ruthenium red and violet. II. Fine structural localization in animal tissues. Anat. Rec. 171:369–416.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Shepard, N., and Mitchell, N. 1977. The use of ruthenium red and p-phenylenediamine to stain cartilage simultaneously for light and electron microscopy. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 25:1163–1168.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Brown, L. M., and Hill, L. 1982. Mercuric chloride in alcohol and chloroform used as a rapidly acting fixative for contracting muscle fibres. J. Microsc. 125(3):319–336.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Hasegawa, T., Ravens, J. R. 1968. A metallic impregnation method for the demonstration of cerebral vascular patterns. Acta Neuropathol. 10:183–188.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Del Rio Hortega, P. 1943. El metodo del carbonato argentico: Revision general de sus tecnicas y aplicaciones en histologia normal y patoligica. Arch. Histol. Norm. Pathol. (Buenos Aires) 2:231–243.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Allen, R. D., Allen, N. S., and Travis, J. L. 1981. Video-enhanced contrast, differential interference contrast (AVEC-DIC) microscopy. Cell Motil. 1:291–302.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Robinson, T. F., Cohen-Gould, L., and Factor, S. M. 1983. The skeletal framework of mammalian heart muscle: Arrangement of inter- and pericellular connective tissue structures . Lab. Invest. 49:482–498.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Ross, R. 1973. The elastic fiber: A review. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 21:199–208.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Wiegner, A. W., Bing, O. H. L., Borg, R. K., and Caulfield, J. B. 1981. Mechanical and structural correlates of canine pericardium. Circ. Res. 49:807–814.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Broom, N. D. 1978. Simultaneous morphological and stress-strain studies of the fibrous components in wet heart valve leaflet tissue. Connect. Tiss. Res. 6:37–50.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Robinson, T. F., and Winegrad, S. 1979. The measurement and dynamic implications of thin filament lengths in heart muscle. J. Physiol. 286:607–619.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Street, S. F. 1983. Lateral transmission of tension in frog myofibers: A myofibrillar network and transverse cytoskeletal connections are possible transmitters. J. Cell. Physiol. 114:346–364.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Meyer, F. A., Koblentz, M., and Silberberg, A. 1977. Structural investigation of loose connective tissue by using a series of dextran fractions as non-interacting macro-molecular probes. Biochem. J. 161:285–291.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Frank, J. S., Langer, G. A., Nudd, L. M., and Saraydarian, C. 1977. The myocardial cell surface, its histochemistry, and the effect of sialic acid and calcium removal on its structure and cellular ionic exchange. Circ. Res. 41:702–714.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Myers, D. B., Highton, T. C., and Rayns, D. G. 1973. Ruthenium red-positive filaments interconnecting collagen fibrils. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 42:87–92.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Rosenberg, L., Hellman, W., and Kleinschmidt, A. K. 1970. Macromolecular models of protein polysaccharide from bovine nasal cartilage based on electron microscopic studies. J. Biol. Chem. 245:4123–4130.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Wight, T. N., and Hascall, V. C. 1983. Proteoglycans in primate arteries. III. Characterization of the proteoglycans synthesized by arterial smooth muscle cells in culture. J. Cell Biol. 96:167–176.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Jones, R. M. 1975. Mechanics of Composite Materials. Scripta, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  40. Wittenberg, B. A., and Robinson, T. F. 1981. Oxygen requirements, morphology, cell coat and membrane permeability of calcium-tolerant myocytes from hearts of adult rats. Cell Tissue Res. 216:231–251.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Puchtler, H., and Meloan, S. N. 1979. Orcein, collastin and pseudoelastica: A reinvestigation of Unna’s concepts. Histochemistry 64:119–130.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiovascular Center, Department of Medicine and Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, 10461, USA

    Thomas F. Robinson

  2. Cardiovascular Center, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, 10461, USA

    Leona Cohen-Gould, Renee M. Remily & Joseph M. Capasso

  3. Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, 10461, USA

    Stephen M. Factor

Authors
  1. Thomas F. Robinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Leona Cohen-Gould
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Renee M. Remily
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Joseph M. Capasso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Stephen M. Factor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiothoracic Institute, University of London, London, England

    Peter Harris  & Philip A. Poole-Wilson  & 

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1985 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Robinson, T.F., Cohen-Gould, L., Remily, R.M., Capasso, J.M., Factor, S.M. (1985). Extracellular Structures in Heart Muscle. In: Harris, P., Poole-Wilson, P.A. (eds) Advances in Myocardiology. Advances in Myocardiology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-1287-2_19

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-1287-2_19

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-1289-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-1287-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation