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Science 330 (6010): 1491-1492

Copyright © 2010 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Gett'N-WASP Stripes

Mathias Gautel, and Elisabeth Ehler

Sarcomeres, the smallest contractile units of striated muscle cells, have regular structures, but are constantly renewing their filaments. It has been difficult, however, to explain how the tens of thousands of sarcomeres present in many muscle cells carry out the apparently incompatible tasks of performing contractile work while rebuilding their machinery. On page 1536 of this issue, Takano et al. (1) identify a new player in the process: N-WASP, a protein involved in regulating the assembly of muscle actin filaments. The finding could help researchers better understand muscle cell enlargement (hypertrophy) and muscle-related disease.

King's College London British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, Cardiovascular Division and Randall Division for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, London, SE1 1UL, UK.

E-mail: mathias.gautel{at}kcl.ac.uk

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