intercalated disc , także: intercalated disk

The intercalated discs run perpendicular to the direction of muscle fibers.

Under electron microscopy, an intercalated disc's path appears more complex.

Electrical resistance through intercalated discs is very low, thus allowing free diffusion of ions.

Intercalated discs are microscopic identifying features of cardiac muscle.

Intercalated discs support synchronised contraction of cardiac tissue.

Cardiac muscle fibers are interconnected by intercalated discs, giving that tissue the appearance of a syncytium.

Both proteins are highly expressed at ventricular intercalated disc and T-tubule membranes in cardiomyocytes.

Under light microscopy, intercalated discs appear as thin, typically dark-staining lines dividing adjacent cardiac muscle cells.

Intercalated discs also support the rapid spread of action potentials and the synchronized contraction of the myocardium.

By contrast, skeletal muscle consists of multinucleated muscle fibers and exhibit no intercalated discs.

Action potentials propagate along the surface of the muscle fiber from the point of synaptic contact, through intercalated discs.

At high magnification, the intercalated disc's path appears even more convoluted, with both longitudinal and transverse areas appearing in longitudinal section.

While skeletal muscles are arranged in regular, parallel bundles, cardiac muscle connects at branching, irregular angles (called intercalated discs).

Cardiac muscle consists of individual heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) connected by intercalated discs to work as a single functional organ or syncitium.

A unique and specific interaction between alphaT-catenin and plakophilin-2 in the area composita, the mixed-type junctional structure of cardiac intercalated discs.

The atrial syncytium is a network of cardiac muscle cells connected by intercalated discs that lends to the coordinated contraction of the atria.

Three types of adhering junctions make up an intercalated disc - fascia adherens, macula adherens and gap junctions.

Novel studies showed that mutations (point mutations) in genes encoding for desmosomal proteins (see intercalated disc) are the main causatives for the development of this disease.

Both vinculin isoforms co-localize in muscular adhesive structures, such as dense plaques in smooth muscles, intercalated discs in cardiomyocytes, and costameres in skeletal muscles.

However, molecular biological and comprehensive studies have shown that intercalated discs consist for the most part of mixed type adherens junctions termed composite junctions or areae compositae (singular area composita).

Intercalated discs (IDs) are complex adhering structures which connect single cardiac myocytes to an electrochemical syncytium (in contrast to the skeletal muscle, which becomes a multicellular syncytium during mammalian embryonic development) and are mainly responsible for force transmission during muscle contraction.