Scholars@Duke
Robert J Edwards

Robert J Edwards

Associate Professor in Medicine
Medicine, Duke Human Vaccine Institute
edwar017@duke.edu
Box 103020 DUMC, Durham, NC 27710
LSRC Bldg, Rm A06, 308 Research Drive, Durham, NC 27710

Selected Publications

Myosin S2 origins track evolution of strong binding on actin by azimuthal rolling of motor domain.

Journal Article Biophys J · March 24, 2015 Myosin crystal structures have given rise to the swinging lever arm hypothesis, which predicts a large axial tilt of the lever arm domain during the actin-attached working stroke. Previous work imaging the working stroke in actively contracting, fast-froze ... Full text Link to item Cite

Structural changes in isometrically contracting insect flight muscle trapped following a mechanical perturbation.

Journal Article PLoS One · 2012 The application of rapidly applied length steps to actively contracting muscle is a classic method for synchronizing the response of myosin cross-bridges so that the average response of the ensemble can be measured. Alternatively, electron tomography (ET) ... Full text Link to item Cite

Electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction evidence for two Z-band structural states.

Journal Article Biophys J · August 3, 2011 In vertebrate muscles, Z-bands connect adjacent sarcomeres, incorporate several cell signaling proteins, and may act as strain sensors. Previous electron microscopy (EM) showed Z-bands reversibly switch between a relaxed, "small-square" structure, and an a ... Full text Link to item Cite

X-ray diffraction evidence for myosin-troponin connections and tropomyosin movement during stretch activation of insect flight muscle.

Journal Article Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A · January 4, 2011 Stretch activation is important in the mechanical properties of vertebrate cardiac muscle and essential to the flight muscles of most insects. Despite decades of investigation, the underlying molecular mechanism of stretch activation is unknown. We investi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Reverse actin sliding triggers strong myosin binding that moves tropomyosin.

Journal Article Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A · July 29, 2008 Actin/myosin interactions in vertebrate striated muscles are believed to be regulated by the "steric blocking" mechanism whereby the binding of calcium to the troponin complex allows tropomyosin (TM) to change position on actin, acting as a molecular switc ... Full text Link to item Cite