Despite its short history, diffraction-unlimited fluorescence microscopy techniques have
already made a substantial imprint in the biological sciences. In this review, we describe …

Unique to striated muscle cells, transverse tubules (t-tubules) are membrane organelles that
consist of sarcolemma penetrating into the myocyte interior, forming a highly branched and …

Abstract Plakophilin-2 (PKP2) is a component of the desmosome and known for its role in
cell–cell adhesion. Mutations in human PKP2 associate with a life-threatening …

Mechanical forces will have been omnipresent since the origin of life, and living organisms
have evolved mechanisms to sense, interpret, and respond to mechanical stimuli. The …

Cardiomyocyte T tubules are important for regulating ion flux. Bridging integrator 1 (BIN1) is
a T-tubule protein associated with calcium channel trafficking that is downregulated in failing …

Cells respond to mechanical forces by activating specific genes and signaling pathways that
allow the cells to adapt to their physical environment. Examples include muscle growth in …

Junctophilins (JPHs) comprise a family of structural proteins that connect the plasma
membrane to intracellular organelles such as the endo/sarcoplasmic reticulum (ER/SR) …

The sarcomeric proteins represent the structural building blocks of heart muscle, which are
essential for contraction and relaxation. During recent years, it has become evident that …

In cardiomyocytes, invaginations of the sarcolemmal membrane called t-tubules are critically
important for triggering contraction by excitation-contraction (EC) coupling. These structures …

Cardiac excitation–contraction coupling occurs primarily at the sites of transverse (T)-
tubule/sarcoplasmic reticulum junctions. The orderly T-tubule network guarantees the …