VOLUME CHANGES IN ISOLATED MYOFIBRILS

The state of water in muscle tissue as determined by proton nuclear magnetic resonance

The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of water protons in live and glycerinated muscle, suspensions of glycerinated myofibrils, and solutions of several muscle proteins has been studied. T(1) and T(2), measured on partially hydrated proteins by pulsed spin-echo techniques, decreased as the ratio of water to protein decreased, showing that the water which is tightly bound by the protein has short relaxation times. In live muscle fibers the pulse techniques showed that, after either a 180 or a 90 degrees pulse, the relaxation of the magnetization is described by a single exponential. This is direct evidence that a fast exchange of protons occurs among the phases of the intracellular water. The data can be fitted with a model in which the bulk of the muscle water is in a phase which has properties similar to those of a dilute salt solution, while less than 4-5% of the total water is bound to the protein surface and has short relaxation times. Measurements of T(1) and T(2) in protein solutions showed that no change in the proton relaxation times occurred when heavy meromyosin was bound to actin, when myofibrils were contracted with adenosine triphosphate (ATP), or when globular actin was polymerized.

Correlations of length and volume measurements in myofibril suspensions

Instrumentation has been developed for the rapid electronic sizing of large numbers of myofibrils. The response of myofibrils in the presence of ATP to changes in Ca(++) concentration was examined. Shortening of myofibrils upon addition of Ca(++) was accompanied by an increased protein effective volume of approximately 10-40%. Whereas ATPase activation and increased turbidity of myofibrils upon addition of Ca(++) were reversible upon subsequent addition of EGTA, the shortening and swelling were irreversible. It is proposed that the swelling may result from the breaking of hydrophobic bonds within myosin. The ATPase activity and turbidity are measures of the input, while the shortening and swelling are measures of the output of a coupled nonequilibrium process; failure of reversal of the output indicates an uncoupling under the experimental conditions.