Researcher ORCID Identifier
0009-0003-7825-4967
Graduation Year
2024
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Department
Biology
Reader 1
Jenna Monroy
Reader 2
Tessa Solomon-Lane
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2023 Amelia E Adsen
Abstract
Titin, the third most abundant filament in muscle, serves many roles. It underlies muscle stiffness and functions as a signaling hub particularly during muscular growth. The PEVK region of titin contributes to muscle stiffness and is suspected to play a role in hypertrophic signaling. Most skeletal muscle studies have only used males, leaving a need to include females and investigate muscle physiology sex differences. To investigate sex differences in these functions, soleus muscles from mice with a deletion to the PEVK region (Ttn∆112-158) and wild type (WT) mice around 100 days old were extracted and attached to an apparatus that collected force, muscle length, and time under twitch and tetanus conditions. The contractile properties under twitch conditions found a significant effect on the interaction effect between the genotype and sex for the rate of force development and half relaxation time. This study also found that female Ttn∆112-158 had greater passive stress under twitch conditions, indicating sex differences in how the PEVK region modulates passive stiffness. Greater passive stiffness could inhibit cyclic movements and affect performance.
Recommended Citation
Adsen, Amelia, "A Comparison of Muscle Function Between Female and Male Mice With a Deletion to the PEVK Region of Titin" (2024). Scripps Senior Theses. 2283.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/2283
