Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Cardiac Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Reveals a Continuous Network Linking Transverse-Tubules

Abstract

We provide the first high-resolution 3D structure of the SR network showing that it forms a cell-wide communication pipeline facilitating Ca(2+) diffusion, buffering, and synchronicity. The distribution of the SR within the cell is related to interspecies differences in excitation-contraction coupling, and we report the first detailed analysis of SR remodeling as a result of heart failure.