Myosin head orientation: a structural determinant for the Frank-Starling relationship

Collaborative studies that combine non-crystalline x-ray diffraction with muscle mechanics provide important insights into the mechanism of the classic Frank-Starling relationship. Editor in Chief William C. Stanley and leading expert Richard L. Moss (University of Wisconsin) interview co-authors Pieter de Tombe (Loyola University Chicago) and Thomas Irving (Illinois Institute of Technology) about their innovative research collaboration and their quest to manipulate the contractile state of myofilaments, with implication for the failing heart. Gerrie P Farman, David Gore, Edward J Allen, Kelly Q Schoenfelt, Thomas C. Irving, and Pieter P. de Tombe. Myosin head orientation: a structural determinant for the Frank-Starling relationship. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, published ahead of print April 1, 2011; doi:10.1152/ajpheart.01221.2010.