Evaluation of the Critical Electron Dose on the Contractile Activity of Hydrated Muscle Fibers in the Film-Sealed Environmental Cell

Abstract

By using the film-sealed environmental cell (EC) having a liquid-injection function, we observed a contraction reaction of hydrated myofibrils isolated from crab muscle under the transmission electron microscope. Our purpose in this work was to evaluate the critical electron dose at which the hydrated fibers lose the contractile activity. The decision of whether the fibers contracted was done by the existence of contraction band after a contraction reaction. From the observations, it was concluded that its critical dose was 2 x 10(-4) C/cm2 or 12 electrons/nm2 at a protein level.