A multitude of important advances have occurred in the field of muscle research during the last decade, concerning striated muscle physiology and pathophysiology. The structure and function of old and new components of the sarcomeric and extrasarcomeric cytoskeleton, the sarcolemma and internal membranes, the extracellular matrix, and the neuromuscular junction have been unraveled using cutting-edge molecular, cellular, biochemical, and biophysical tools combined with high-throughput genomic and proteomic approaches. A number of animal models, ranging from Drosophila and C. elegans to zebrafish and mouse, have been developed, which in some instances confirmed our predictions about the activities of certain genes, but in others raised questions about their roles. Such studies further underscored the complexity of the muscle cell, and pinpointed the need for development of highly sophisticated and integrated approaches, which will ultimately provide us with more accurate answers.

In this volume, we invite authors to present original research articles as well as review articles that will stimulate the continuing efforts to unravel the intricate web of the skeletal and cardiac muscle cell and their properties in normalcy and disease.

Potential topics include but are not limited to:

• Assembly of the muscle cell; the sarcomeric and extrasarcomeric cytoskeleton
• Sarcolemma, extracellular matrix, and adhesion
• Internal membranes and excitation/contraction coupling
• Muscle biomechanics at organismal, cellular, and single-molecule levels
• Metabolism and energetics
• Models of muscular dystrophy
• Stem cells and muscle regeneration
• Apoptosis and Ca²⁺

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jbb/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/ according to the following timetable: