Using hybrid TPEF-SHG imaging and immunocytological techniques, we studied dedifferentiation of adult cardiomyocytes. First, the myofibrils shrank to shorten the sarcomere length. At the cell ends, the striated pattern of myosin filaments began to dissociate; at the center of the cell, the striated pattern of alpha-actinin first faded away and reappeared near the cell membrane during dedifferentiation. The results suggest that when freshly isolated adult cardiomyocytes are used to model cardiac muscle, the end-to-end connection may be important to maintain their striated myofibrillar structure and rod-shape morphology.

Date Published: 26 February 2013
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 8587, Imaging, Manipulation, and Analysis of Biomolecules, Cells, and Tissues XI, 85871W (26 February 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2005156

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8587:
Imaging, Manipulation, and Analysis of Biomolecules, Cells, and Tissues XI
Daniel L. Farkas; Dan V. Nicolau; Robert C. Leif, Editor(s)