Muscle contraction - Myosin trapped but not tamed

Muscles contain interdigitating filaments of actin and myosin, which are connected by cross-bridges (myosin heads) driven by ATP hydrolysis. What goes on in molecular terms during muscle contraction remains a matter of debate, however, and was the topic of a European meeting in September. Discussion centred on crystal structures of the cross-bridge and actin at atomic resolution, and the development of assays to follow events at the single-molecule level. Fresh ways of looking at muscle disease also came in for consideration.