Muscular contraction: kinetics of crossbridge attachment studied by high-frequency stiffness measurements

A Proposed Mechanism for the Initial Myosin Binding Event on the Cardiac Thin Filament: A Metadynamics Study

The movement of tropomyosin over filamentous actin regulates the cross-bridge cycle of the thick with thin filament of cardiac muscle by blocking and revealing myosin binding sites. Tropomyosin exists in three, distinct equilibrium states with one state blocking myosin-actin interactions (blocked position) and the remaining two allowing for weak (closed position) and strong myosin binding (open position). However, experimental information illuminating how myosin binds to the thin filament and influences tropomyosin's transition across the actin surface is lacking. Using metadynamics, we mimic the effect of a single myosin head binding by determining the work required to pull small segments of tropomyosin toward the open position in several distinct regions of the thin filament. We find differences in required work due to the influence of cardiac troponin T lead to preferential binding sites and determine the mechanism of further myosin head recruitment.

Special Issue: The Actin-Myosin Interaction in Muscle: Background and Overview

Muscular contraction is a fundamental phenomenon in all animals; without it life as we know it would be impossible. The basic mechanism in muscle, including heart muscle, involves the interaction of the protein filaments myosin and actin. Motility in all cells is also partly based on similar interactions of actin filaments with non-muscle myosins. Early studies of muscle contraction have informed later studies of these cellular actin-myosin systems. In muscles, projections on the myosin filaments, the so-called myosin heads or cross-bridges, interact with the nearby actin filaments and, in a mechanism powered by ATP-hydrolysis, they move the actin filaments past them in a kind of cyclic rowing action to produce the macroscopic muscular movements of which we are all aware. In this special issue the papers and reviews address different aspects of the actin-myosin interaction in muscle as studied by a plethora of complementary techniques. The present overview provides a brief and elementary introduction to muscle structure and function and the techniques used to study it. It goes on to give more detailed descriptions of what is known about muscle components and the cross-bridge cycle using structural biology techniques, particularly protein crystallography, electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. It then has a quick look at muscle mechanics and it summarises what can be learnt about how muscle works based on the other studies covered in the different papers in the special issue. A picture emerges of the main molecular steps involved in the force-producing process; steps that are also likely to be seen in non-muscle myosin interactions with cellular actin filaments. Finally, the remarkable advances made in studying the effects of mutations in the contractile assembly in causing specific muscle diseases, particularly those in heart muscle, are outlined and discussed.

Myosin Cross-Bridge Behaviour in Contracting Muscle-The T1 Curve of Huxley and Simmons (1971) Revisited

The stiffness of the myosin cross-bridges is a key factor in analysing possible scenarios to explain myosin head changes during force generation in active muscles. The seminal study of Huxley and Simmons (1971: Nature233: 533) suggested that most of the observed half-sarcomere instantaneous compliance (=1/stiffness) resides in the myosin heads. They showed with a so-called T₁ plot that, after a very fast release, the half-sarcomere tension reduced to zero after a step size of about 60Å (later with improved experiments reduced to 40Å). However, later X-ray diffraction studies showed that myosin and actin filaments themselves stretch slightly under tension, which means that most (at least two-thirds) of the half sarcomere compliance comes from the filaments and not from cross-bridges. Here we have used a different approach, namely to model the compliances in a virtual half sarcomere structure in silico. We confirm that the T₁ curve comes almost entirely from length changes in the myosin and actin filaments, because the calculated cross-bridge stiffness (probably greater than 0.4 pN/Å) is higher than previous studies have suggested. Our model demonstrates that the formulations produced by previous authors give very similar results to our model if the same starting parameters are used. However, we find that it is necessary to model the X-ray diffraction data as well as mechanics data to get a reliable estimate of the cross-bridge stiffness. In the light of the high cross-bridge stiffness found in the present study, we present a plausible modified scenario to describe aspects of the myosin cross-bridge cycle in active muscle. In particular, we suggest that, apart from the filament compliances, most of the cross-bridge contribution to the instantaneous T₁ response may come from weakly-bound myosin heads, not myosin heads in strongly attached states. The strongly attached heads would still contribute to the T₁ curve, but only in a very minor way, with a stiffness that we postulate could be around 0.1 pN/Å, a value which would generate a working stroke close to 100 Å from the hydrolysis of one ATP molecule. The new model can serve as a tool to calculate sarcomere elastic properties for any vertebrate striated muscle once various parameters have been determined (e.g., tension, T₁ intercept, temperature, X-ray diffraction spacing results).

Thick-Filament Extensibility in Intact Skeletal Muscle

Myofilament extensibility is a key structural parameter for interpreting myosin cross-bridge kinetics in striated muscle. Previous studies reported much higher thick-filament extensibility at low tension than the better-known and commonly used values at high tension, but in interpreting mechanical studies of muscle, a single value for thick-filament extensibility has usually been assumed. Here, we established the complete thick-filament force-extension curve from actively contracting, intact vertebrate skeletal muscle. To access a wide range of tetanic forces, the myosin inhibitor blebbistatin was used to induce low tetanic forces in addition to the higher tensions obtained from tetanic contractions of the untreated muscle. We show that the force/extensibility curve of the thick filament is nonlinear, so assuming a single value for thick-filament extensibility at all force levels is not justified. We also show that independent of whether tension is generated passively by sarcomere stretch or actively by cross-bridges, the thick-filament extensibility is nonlinear. Myosin head periodicity, however, only changes when active tension is generated under calcium-activated conditions. The nonlinear thick-filament force-extension curve in skeletal muscle, therefore, reflects a purely passive response to either titin-based force or actomyosin-based force, and it does not include a thick-filament activation mechanism. In contrast, the transition of myosin head periodicity to an active configuration appears to only occur in response to increased active force when calcium is present.

Phosphate increase during fatigue affects crossbridge kinetics in intact mouse muscle at physiological temperature

KEY POINTS

Actomyosin ATP hydrolysis occurring during muscle contraction releases inorganic phosphate [P_i ] in the myoplasm. High [P_i ] reduces force and affects force kinetics in skinned muscle fibres at low temperature. These effects decrease at high temperature, raising the question of their importance under physiological conditions. This study provides the first analysis of the effects of P_i on muscle performance in intact mammalian fibres at physiological temperature. Myoplasmic [P_i ] was raised by fatiguing the fibres with a series of tetanic contractions. [P_i ] increase reduces muscular force mainly by decreasing the force of the single molecular motor, the crossbridge, and alters the crossbridge response to fast length perturbation indicating faster kinetics. These results are in agreement with schemes of actomyosin ATPase and the crossbridge cycle including a low- or no-force state and show that fibre length changes perturb the P_i -sensitive force generation of the crossbridge cycle.

ABSTRACT

Actomyosin ATP hydrolysis during muscle contraction releases inorganic phosphate, increasing [P_i ] in the myoplasm. Experiments in skinned fibres at low temperature (10-12°C) have shown that [P_i ] increase depresses isometric force and alters the kinetics of actomyosin interaction. However, the effects of P_i decrease with temperature and this raises the question of the role of P_i under physiological conditions. The present experiments were performed to investigate this point. Intact fibre bundles isolated from the flexor digitorum brevis of C57BL/6 mice were stimulated with a series of tetanic contractions at 1.5 s intervals at 33°C. As show previously the most significant change induced by a bout of contractile activity similar to the initial 10 tetani of the series was an increase of [P_i ] without significant Ca²⁺ or pH changes. Measurements of force, stiffness and responses to fast stretches and releases were therefore made on the 10th tetanus of the series and compared with control. We found that (i) tetanic force at the 10th tetanus was ∼20% smaller than control without a significant decrease of crossbridge stiffness; and (ii) the force recovery following quick stretches and releases was faster than in control. These results indicate that at physiological temperature the increase of [P_i ] occurring during early fatigue reduces tetanic force mainly by depressing the individual crossbridge force and accelerating crossbridge kinetics.

Non-crossbridge stiffness in active muscle fibres

Stretching of an activated skeletal muscle induces a transient tension increase followed by a period during which the tension remains elevated well above the isometric level at an almost constant value. This excess of tension in response to stretching has been called 'static tension' and attributed to an increase in fibre stiffness above the resting value, named 'static stiffness'. This observation was originally made, by our group, in frog intact muscle fibres and has been confirmed more recently, by us, in mammalian intact fibres. Following stimulation, fibre stiffness starts to increase during the latent period well before crossbridge force generation and it is present throughout the whole contraction in both single twitches and tetani. Static stiffness is dependent on sarcomere length in a different way from crossbridge force and is independent of stretching amplitude and velocity. Static stiffness follows a time course which is distinct from that of active force and very similar to the myoplasmic calcium concentration time course. We therefore hypothesize that static stiffness is due to a calcium-dependent stiffening of a non-crossbridge sarcomere structure, such as the titin filament. According to this hypothesis, titin, in addition to its well-recognized role in determining the muscle passive tension, could have a role during muscle activity.

Non-crossbridge forces in activated striated muscles: a titin dependent mechanism of regulation?

When skeletal muscles are stretched during activation in the absence of myosin-actin interactions, the force increases significantly. The force remains elevated throughout the activation period. The mechanism behind this non-crossbridge force, referred to as static tension, is unknown and generates debate in the literature. It has been suggested that the static tension is caused by Ca(2+)-induced changes in the properties of titin molecules that happens during activation and stretch, but a comprehensive evaluation of such possibility is still lacking. This paper reviews the general characteristics of the static tension, and evaluates the proposed mechanism by which titin may change the force upon stretch. Evidence is presented suggesting that an increase in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration leads to Ca(2+) binding to the PEVK region of titin. Such binding increases titin stiffness, which increases the overall sarcomere stiffness and causes the static tension. If this form of Ca(2+)-induced increase in titin stiffness is confirmed in future studies, it may have large implications for understating of the basic mechanisms of muscle contraction.

The non-linear elasticity of the muscle sarcomere and the compliance of myosin motors

Force in striated muscle is due to attachment of the heads of the myosin, the molecular motors extending from the myosin filament, to the actin filament in each half-sarcomere, the functional unit where myosin motors act in parallel. Mechanical and X-ray structural evidence indicates that at the plateau of isometric contraction (force T0), less than half of the elastic strain of the half-sarcomere is due to the strain in the array of myosin motors (s), with the remainder being accounted for by the compliance of filaments acting as linear elastic elements in series with the motor array. Early during the development of isometric force, however, the half-sarcomere compliance has been found to be less than that expected from the linear elastic model assumed above, and this non-linearity may affect the estimate of s. This question is investigated here by applying nanometre-microsecond-resolution mechanics to single intact fibres from frog skeletal muscle at 4 °C, to record the mechanical properties of the half-sarcomere throughout the development of force in isometric contraction. The results are interpreted with mechanical models to estimate the compliance of the myosin motors. Our conclusions are as follows: (i) early during the development of an isometric tetanus, an elastic element is present in parallel with the myosin motors, with a compliance of ∼200 nm MPa(-1) (∼20 times larger than the compliance of the motor array at T0); and (ii) during isometric contraction, s is 1.66 ± 0.05 nm, which is not significantly different from the value estimated with the linear elastic model.

Effect of temperature on crossbridge force changes during fatigue and recovery in intact mouse muscle fibers

Repetitive or prolonged muscle contractions induce muscular fatigue, defined as the inability of the muscle to maintain the initial tension or power output. In the present experiments, made on intact fiber bundles from FDB mouse, fatigue and recovery from fatigue were investigated at 24°C and 35°C. Force and stiffness were measured during tetani elicited every 90 s during the pre-fatigue control phase and recovery and every 1.5 s during the fatiguing phase made of 105 consecutive tetani. The results showed that force decline could be split in an initial phase followed by a later one. Loss of force during the first phase was smaller and slower at 35°C than at 24°C, whereas force decline during the later phase was greater at 35°C so that total force depression at the end of fatigue was the same at both temperatures. The initial force decline occurred without great reduction of fiber stiffness and was attributed to a decrease of the average force per attached crossbridge. Force decline during the later phase was accompanied by a proportional stiffness decrease and was attributed to a decrease of the number of attached crossbridge. Similarly to fatigue, at both 24 and 35°C, force recovery occurred in two phases: the first associated with the recovery of the average force per attached crossbridge and the second due to the recovery of the pre-fatigue attached crossbridge number. These changes, symmetrical to those occurring during fatigue, are consistent with the idea that, i) initial phase is due to the direct fast inhibitory effect of [Pi]i increase during fatigue on crossbridge force; ii) the second phase is due to the delayed reduction of Ca(2+) release and /or reduction of the Ca(2+) sensitivity of the myofibrils due to high [Pi]i.

A cross-bridge cycle with two tension-generating steps simulates skeletal muscle mechanics

We examined whether cross-bridge cycle models with one or two tension-generating steps can account for the force-velocity relation of and tension response to length steps of frog skeletal muscle. Transition-state theory defined the strain dependence of the rate constants. The filament stiffness was non-Hookean. Models were refined against experimental data by simulated annealing and downhill simplex runs. Models with one tension-generating step were rejected, as they had a low efficiency and fitted the experimental data relatively poorly. The best model with two tension-generating steps (stroke distances 5.6 and 4.6 nm) and a cross-bridge stiffness of 1.7 pN/nm gave a good account of the experimental data. The two tensing steps allow an efficiency of up to 38% during shortening. In an isometric contraction, 54.7% of the attached heads were in a pre-tension-generating state, 44.5% of the attached heads had undergone the first tension-generating step, and only 0.8% had undergone both tension-generating steps; they bore 34%, 64%, and 2%, respectively, of the isometric tension. During slow shortening, the second tensing step made a greater contribution. During lengthening, up to 93% of the attached heads were in a pre-tension-generating state yet bore elevated tension by being dragged to high strains before detaching.

Force decline during fatigue is due to both a decrease in the force per individual cross-bridge and the number of cross-bridges

Fatigue occurring during exercise can be defined as the inability to maintain the initial force or power output. As fatigue becomes pronounced, force and maximum velocity of shortening are greatly reduced and force relaxation is prolonged. In principle, force loss during fatigue can result from a decrease in the number of cross-bridges generating force or a decrease of the individual cross-bridge force or to both mechanisms. The present experiments were made to investigate this point in single fibres or small fibre bundles isolated from flexor digitorum brevis (FDB) of C57BL/6 mice at 22-24◦C. During a series of 105 tetanic contractions, we measured force and fibre stiffness by applying small sinusoidal length oscillations at 2.5 or 4 kHz frequency to the activated preparation and measuring the resulting force changes. Stiffness data were corrected for the influence of compliance in series with the cross-bridge ensemble. The results show that the force decline during the first 20 tetani is due to the reduction of force developed by the individual cross-bridges and thereafter as fatigue becomes more severe, the number of cross-bridges decreases. In spite of the force reduction in the early phase of fatigue, there was an increased rate of tetanic force development and relaxation. In the latter stages of fatigue, the rate of force development and relaxation became slower. Thus, the start of fatigue is characterised by decreased cross-bridge force development and as fatigue becomes more marked, the number of cross-bridges decreases. These findings are discussed in the context of the current hypotheses about fatigue mechanisms.

Crossbridge and filament compliance in muscle: implications for tension generation and lever arm swing

The stiffness of myosin heads attached to actin is a crucial parameter in determining the kinetics and mechanics of the crossbridge cycle. It has been claimed that the stiffness of myosin heads in the anterior tibialis muscle of the common frog (Rana temporaria) is as high as 3.3 pN/nm, substantially higher than its value in rabbit muscle (~1.7 pN/nm). However, the crossbridge stiffness measurement has a large error since the contribution of crossbridges to half-sarcomere compliance is obtained by subtracting from the half-sarcomere compliance the contributions of the thick and thin filaments, each with a substantial error. Calculation of its value for isometric contraction also depends on the fraction of heads that are attached, for which there is no consensus. Surprisingly, the stiffness of the myosin head from the edible frog, Rana esculenta, determined in the same manner, is only 60% of that in Rana temporaria. In our view it is unlikely that the value of such a crucial parameter could differ so substantially between two frog species. Since the means of the myosin head stiffness in these two species are not significantly different, we suggest that the best estimate of the stiffness of the myosin heads for frog muscle is the average of these data, a value similar to that for rabbit muscle. This would allow both frog and rabbit muscles to operate the same low-cooperativity mechanism for the crossbridge cycle with only one or two tension-generating steps. We review evidence that much of the compliance of the myosin head is located in the pliant region where the lever arm emerges from the converter and propose that tension generation ("tensing") caused by the rotation and movement of the converter is a separate event from the passive swinging of the lever arm in its working stroke in which the strain energy stored in the pliant region is used to do work.

Cross-bridge properties in single intact frog fibers studied by fast stretches

Cross-bridges properties were measured under different experimental conditions by applying fast stretches to activated skeletal frog muscle fiber to -forcibly detach the cross-bridge ensemble. This allowed to measure the tension needed to detach the cross-bridges, P(c), and the sarcomere elongation at the rupture force, L(c). These two parameters are expected to be correlated with cross-bridges number (P(c)) and their mean extension (L(c)). Conditions investigated were: tetanus rise and plateau under normal Ringer and Ringer containing different BDM -concentrations, hyper (1.4T) and hypotonic (0.8T) solutions, 5 and 14 degrees C temperature. P(c) was linearly correlated with the tension (P) developed by the fibers under all the conditions examined, however the ratio P(c)/P changed depending on conditions being greater at low temperature and higher tonicity. These results indicate that, (a) P(c) can be used as a measure of attached cross-bridge number and (b) the force developed by the individual cross-bridge increases at high temperature and low tonicity. L(c) was not affected by tension developed, however it changed under different conditions, being greater at low temperature and high tonicity. These findings, suggests, in agreement with P(c) data, that cross-bridge extension is smaller at low temperature and high tonicity. By comparing these data with tetanic tension we concluded that potentiation or depression induced on tetanic force by tonicity or temperature changes are entirely accounted for by changes of the force developed by the individual cross-bridge.

Is the cross-bridge stiffness proportional to tension during muscle fiber activation?

The cross-bridge stiffness can be used to estimate the number of S1 that are bound to actin during contraction, which is a critical parameter for elucidating the fundamental mechanism of the myosin motor. At present, the development of active tension and the increase in muscle stiffness due to S1 binding to actin are thought to be linearly related to the number of cross-bridges formed upon activation. The nonlinearity of total stiffness with respect to active force is thought to arise from the contribution of actin and myosin filament stiffness to total sarcomere elasticity. In this work, we reexamined the relation of total stiffness to tension during activation and during exposure to N-benzyl-p-toluene sulphonamide, an inhibitor of cross-bridge formation. In addition to filament and cross-bridge elasticity, our findings are best accounted for by the inclusion of an extra elasticity in parallel with the cross-bridges, which is formed upon activation but is insensitive to the subsequent level of cross-bridge formation. By analyzing the rupture tension of the muscle (an independent measure of cross-bridge formation) at different levels of activation, we found that this additional elasticity could be explained as the stiffness of a population of no-force-generating cross-bridges. These findings call into question the assumption that active force development can be taken as directly proportional to the cross-bridge number.

Large-scale models reveal the two-component mechanics of striated muscle

This paper provides a comprehensive explanation of striated muscle mechanics and contraction on the basis of filament rotations. Helical proteins, particularly the coiled-coils of tropomyosin, myosin and alpha-actinin, shorten their H-bonds cooperatively and produce torque and filament rotations when the Coulombic net-charge repulsion of their highly charged side-chains is diminished by interaction with ions. The classical "two-component model" of active muscle differentiated a "contractile component" which stretches the "series elastic component" during force production. The contractile components are the helically shaped thin filaments of muscle that shorten the sarcomeres by clockwise drilling into the myosin cross-bridges with torque decrease (= force-deficit). Muscle stretch means drawing out the thin filament helices off the cross-bridges under passive counterclockwise rotation with torque increase (= stretch activation). Since each thin filament is anchored by four elastic alpha-actinin Z-filaments (provided with force-regulating sites for Ca(2+) binding), the thin filament rotations change the torsional twist of the four Z-filaments as the "series elastic components". Large scale models simulate the changes of structure and force in the Z-band by the different Z-filament twisting stages A, B, C, D, E, F and G. Stage D corresponds to the isometric state. The basic phenomena of muscle physiology, i. e. latency relaxation, Fenn-effect, the force-velocity relation, the length-tension relation, unexplained energy, shortening heat, the Huxley-Simmons phases, etc. are explained and interpreted with the help of the model experiments.

Structural changes in the myosin filament and cross-bridges during active force development in single intact frog muscle fibres: stiffness and X-ray diffraction measurements

Structural and mechanical changes occurring in the myosin filament and myosin head domains during the development of the isometric tetanus have been investigated in intact frog muscle fibres at 4 degrees C and 2.15 microm sarcomere length, using sarcomere level mechanics and X-ray diffraction at beamline ID2 of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (Grenoble, France). The time courses of changes in both the M3 and M6 myosin-based reflections were recorded with 5 ms frames using the gas-filled RAPID detector (MicroGap Technology). Following the end of the latent period (11 ms after the start of stimulation), force increases to the tetanus plateau value (T(0)) with a half-time of 40 ms, and the spacings of the M3 and M6 reflections (S(M3) and S(M6)) increase by 1.5% from their resting values, with time courses that lead that of force by approximately 10 and approximately 20 ms, respectively. These temporal relations are maintained when the increase of force is delayed by approximately 10 ms by imposing, from 5 ms after the first stimulus, 50 nm (half-sarcomere)(-1) shortening at the velocity (V(0)) that maintains zero force. Shortening at V(0) transiently reduces S(M3) following the latent period and delays the subsequent increase in S(M3), but only delays the S(M6) increase without a transient decrease. Shortening at V(0) imposed at the tetanus plateau causes an abrupt reduction of the intensity of the M3 reflection (I(M3)), whereas the intensity of the M6 reflection (I(M6)) is only slightly reduced. The changes in half-sarcomere stiffness indicate that the isometric force at each time point is proportional to the number of myosin heads bound to actin. The different sensitivities of the intensity and spacing of the M3 and M6 reflections to the mechanical responses support the view that the M3 reflection in active muscle originates mainly from the myosin heads attached to the actin filament and the M6 reflection originates mainly from a fixed structure in the myosin filament signalling myosin filament length changes during the tetanus rise.

Crossbridge properties investigated by fast ramp stretching of activated frog muscle fibres

Very fast ramp stretches at 9.5-33 sarcomere lengths s(-1) (l0 s(-1)) stretching speed, 16-25 nm per half-sarcomere (nm hs(-1)) amplitude were applied to activated intact frog muscle fibres at tetanus plateau, during the tetanus rise, during the isometric phase of relaxation and during isotonic shortening. Stretches produced an almost linear tension increase above the isometric level up to a peak, and fell to a lower value in spite of continued stretching, indicating that the fibre became suddenly very compliant. This suggests that peak tension (critical tension, P(c)) represents the tension at which crossbridges are forcibly detached by the stretch. The ratio of P(c) to the isometric tension at tetanus plateau (P0) was 2.37 +/- 0.12 (S.E.M.). This ratio did not change significantly at lower tension (P) during the tetanus rise but decreased with time during the relaxation and increased with speed during isotonic shortening. At tetanus plateau P(c) occurred when sarcomere elongation attained a critical length (L(c)) of 10.98 +/- 0.13 nm hs(-1), independently of the stretching speed. L(c) remained constant during the tetanus rise but decreased on the relaxation and increased during isotonic shortening. Length-clamp experiments on the relaxation showed that the lower values of P(c)/P ratio and L(c), were both due to the slow sarcomere stretching occurring during this phase. Our data show that P(c) can be used as a measure of crossbridge number, while L(c) is a measure of crossbridge mean extension. Accordingly, for a given tension, crossbridges on the isometric relaxation are fewer than during the rise, develop a greater individual force and have a greater mean extension, while during isotonic shortening crossbridges are in a greater number but develop a smaller individual force and have a smaller extension.

Non-cross-bridge calcium-dependent stiffness in frog muscle fibers

At the end of the force transient elicited by a fast stretch applied to an activated frog muscle fiber, the force settles to a steady level exceeding the isometric level preceding the stretch. We showed previously that this excess of tension, referred to as "static tension," is due to the elongation of some elastic sarcomere structure, outside the cross bridges. The stiffness of this structure, "static stiffness," increased upon stimulation following a time course well distinct from tension and roughly similar to intracellular Ca(2+) concentration. In the experiments reported here, we investigated the possible role of Ca(2+) in static stiffness by comparing static stiffness measurements in the presence of Ca(2+) release inhibitors (D600, Dantrolene, (2)H(2)O) and cross-bridge formation inhibitors [2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM), hypertonicity]. Both series of agents inhibited tension; however, only D600, Dantrolene, and (2)H(2)O decreased at the same time static stiffness, whereas BDM and hypertonicity left static stiffness unaltered. These results indicate that Ca(2+), in addition to promoting cross-bridge formation, increases the stiffness of an (unidentified) elastic structure of the sarcomere. This stiffness increase may help in maintaining the sarcomere length uniformity under conditions of instability.

A non-cross-bridge stiffness in activated frog muscle fibers

Force responses to fast ramp stretches of various amplitude and velocity, applied during tetanic contractions, were measured in single intact fibers from frog tibialis anterior muscle. Experiments were performed at 14 degrees C at approximately 2.1 microm sarcomere length on fibers bathed in Ringer's solution containing various concentrations of 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM) to greatly reduce the isometric tension. The fast tension transient produced by the stretch was followed by a period, lasting until relaxation, during which the tension remained constant to a value that greatly exceeded the isometric tension. The excess of tension was termed "static tension," and the ratio between the force and the accompanying sarcomere length change was termed "static stiffness." The static stiffness was independent of the active tension developed by the fiber, and independent of stretch amplitude and stretching velocity in the whole range tested; it increased with sarcomere length in the range 2.1-2.8 microm, to decrease again at longer lengths. Static stiffness increased well ahead of tension during the tetanus rise, and fell ahead of tension during relaxation. These results suggest that activation increased the stiffness of some sarcomeric structure(s) outside the cross-bridges.

Crossbridge kinetics in single frog muscle fibres in presence of ethylene glycol

Single fibres isolated from frog muscle were tetanically stimulated at 14 degrees C to produce isometric tetani at a sarcomere length of about 2.16 microm, using a striation follower device to measure the sarcomere length of a selected segment of fibre. Force-velocity data were obtained by applying ramp releases at pre-set velocity at the tetanus plateau. Sarcomere stiffness was measured at isometric plateau and during isotonic shortening by using sinusoidal length changes at 2 kHz frequency and about 1 nm per half sarcomere (hs) peak to peak amplitude. A correction method was used to compensate for the force truncation due to the quick recovery. After data collection, the bathing solution was substituted with Ringer plus ethylene glycol (EG) at 2 M (11.2% v/v). When the fibre was fully equilibrated with the new solution, the measurements were repeated. Ethylene glycol reduced the speed of the tetanus rise and tetanus relaxation without altering the isometric tension, and reduced the maximum shortening velocity by about 20%. During isotonic contraction tension and stiffness at each given shortening velocity were reduced by about the same amount, so that the stiffness/tension ratio remained almost unaltered. Force-velocity and stiffness data in both standard and EG Ringer were analysed in terms of a two state model (Huxley, 1957). The analysis showed that our results can be accounted for by assuming that EG at 2 M concentration reduces all the rate constants for crossbridges interaction by about the same amount.

Series-to-parallel transition in the filament lattice of airway smooth muscle

Force-velocity curves measured at different times during tetani of sheep trachealis muscle were analyzed to assess whether velocity slowing could be explained by thick-filament lengthening. Such lengthening increases force by placing more cross bridges in parallel on longer filaments and decreases velocity by reducing the number of filaments spanning muscle length. From 2 s after the onset of stimulation, when force had achieved 42% of it final value, to 28 s, when force had been at its tetanic plateau for approximately 15 s, velocity decreases were exactly matched by force increases when force was adjusted for changes in activation, as assessed from the maximum power value in the force-velocity curves. A twofold change in velocity could be quantitatively explained by a series-to-parallel change in the filament lattice without any need to postulate a change in cross-bridge cycling rate.

Cross-bridge movement and stiffness during the rise of tension in skeletal muscle--a theoretical analysis

Predictions for the time courses of cross-bridge attachment. N(t), stiffness, S(t), and force, T(t), during the tetanus rise were analysed for a special class of cross-bridge models where cross-bridges initially attach in a non-stereospecific weak-binding state, AW. This state is in rapid equilibrium (equilibrium constant K) with detached states and the force generating transition (rate constant F+) is delayed. One model (model IA) which assumed step-function rise of activation at onset of tetanus, gave a poor fit to the experimental data (judged by root mean square error, RMSe approximately 0.038) but the experimentally observed lead of N(t) over T(t) was reproduced qualitatively. An activation mechanism where K increased towards its maximum value according to an exponential function (Model IB) improved the fit considerably (RMSe approximately 0.013). However, the activation time constant (r = 30 ms) derived in the fit was too high to reflect Ca2+ binding to troponin. In a further developed model (model II) both Ca2+ -binding to troponin and cross-bridge attachment were assumed to be required for full activation. This more complex model gave a good fit to the experimental data (RMSe approximately 0.013) with a realistic time constant for Ca2+ binding to troponin (9 ms). In both model IB and model II the best fit was obtained with F+ approximately 40 s(-1). An extended version of model IB, with distributed cross-bridge attachment and a series elastic element, gave a fit of similar quality (RMSe approximately 0.009) as obtained with model IB and model II and with a similar value of F+. The results support the view that weakly bound cross-bridges (state AW) may account for the lead of cross-bridge movement over force during tension rise. It is also shown that, if the stiffness of the myofilaments is non-linear (stiffness increasing with tension) the experimentally observed lead of S(t) over T(t) may, to a significant degree, be attributed to cross-bridges in the state AW.

Sarcomere tension-stiffness relation during the tetanus rise in single frog muscle fibres

The sarcomere stiffness was measured in single muscle fibres during the development of tetanic tension using a method insensitive to fibre inertia and viscosity. The stiffness was calculated by measuring the ratio between tension and sarcomere length during a period of fast sarcomere elongation at constant velocity. Tension changes were corrected for force truncation by the quick recovery mechanism. The results show that the relation between force and stiffness deviates from the direct proportionality less than previously reported. If the deviation is due to the presence of a linear myofilament compliance in series with the cross-bridges, our data suggest that myofilament compliance accounts for about 30% of the sarcomere compliance. This value is significantly smaller than 50-70% determined by X-ray diffraction measurements. These two different findings, however, may be reconciled by assuming that the myofilament compliance is non-linear increasing appropriately at low tension.

Mechanical properties of frog muscle fibres at rest and during twitch contraction

Data reported in the literature suggest that crossbridges in rapid equilibrium between attached and detached states (weakly binding bridges), demonstrated in relaxed skinned fibres at low ionic strength, could be present also in intact fibres under physiological conditions. In addition, it was suggested that the well known leading of stiffness over force during the tension development in stimulated muscle fibres could be due to an increased number of weakly binding bridges induced by the stimulation. The experiments reviewed in this paper were made to investigate these possibilities. Fast ramp length changes were applied to single frog muscle fibres at rest and during the early phases of activation. The corresponding force changes were analysed, searching for the components expected from the presence of weakly binding bridges. The results showed no mechanical indication for the presence of weakly binding bridges in both skinned and intact fibres, either at rest or during activation. It was also found that a portion of the fibre stiffness increase induced by stimulation leads the formation of crossbridges.

Myofilament compliance and sarcomere tension-stiffness relation during the tetanus rise in frog muscle fibres

The sarcomere stiffness was measured in single muscle fibres during the development of tetanic tension using a method insensitive to fibre inertia and viscosity. The stiffness was calculated as the ratio between tension changes and sarcomere length changes during a period of fast sarcomere elongation at constant velocity. The results show that, unlike previous measurements with step or sinusoidal length changes, the relation between relative force and relative stiffness on the tetanus rise is linear. Consequently, the development of stiffness upon stimulation is synchronous with the development of force. Since a substantial fraction of sarcomere compliance is localized in the myofilaments, this result can be accounted for by assuming that either myofilament compliance is highly non-linear or that crossbridges stiffness during the tetanus rise is not proportional to crossbridge tension.

Changes in conformation of myosin heads during the development of isometric contraction and rapid shortening in single frog muscle fibres

1. Two-dimensional X-ray diffraction patterns were recorded at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility from central segments of intact single muscle fibres of Rana temporaria with 5 ms time resolution during the development of isometric contraction. Shortening at ca 0.8 times the maximum velocity was also imposed at the isometric tetanus plateau. 2. The first myosin-based layer line (ML1) and the second myosin-based meridional reflection (M2), which are both strong in resting muscle, were completely abolished at the plateau of the isometric tetanus. The third myosin-based meridional reflection (M3), arising from the axial repeat of the myosin heads along the filaments, remained intense but its spacing changed from 14.34 to 14.56 nm. The intensity change of the M3 reflection, IM3, could be explained as the sum of two components, I14.34 and I14.56, arising from myosin head conformations characteristic of rest and isometric contraction, respectively. 3. The amplitudes (A) of the X-ray reflections, which are proportional to the fraction of myosin heads in each conformation, changed with half-times that were similar to that of isometric force development, which was 33.5 +/- 2. 0 ms (mean +/- s.d., 224 tetani from three fibres, 4 C), measured from the end of the latent period. We conclude that the myosin head conformation changes synchronously with force development, at least within the 5 ms time resolution of these measurements. 4. The changes in the X-ray reflections during rapid shortening have two temporal components. The rapid decrease in intensity of the 14.56 nm reflection at the start of shortening is likely to be due to tilting of myosin heads attached to actin. The slower changes in the other reflections were consistent with a return to the resting conformation of the myosin heads that was about 60 % complete after shortening of 70 nm per half-sarcomere.

Elastic bending and active tilting of myosin heads during muscle contraction

Muscle contraction is driven by a change in shape of the myosin head region that links the actin and myosin filaments. Tilting of the light-chain domain of the head with respect to its actin-bound catalytic domain is thought to be coupled to the ATPase cycle. Here, using X-ray diffraction and mechanical data from isolated muscle fibres, we characterize an elastic bending of the heads that is independent of the presence of ATP. Together, the tilting and bending motions can explain force generation in isometric muscle, when filament sliding is prevented. The elastic strain in the head is 2.0-2.7 nm under these conditions, contributing 40-50% of the compliance of the muscle sarcomere. We present an atomic model for changes in head conformation that accurately reproduces the changes in the X-ray diffraction pattern seen when rapid length changes are applied to muscle fibres both in active contraction and in the absence of ATP. The model predictions are relatively independent of which parts of the head are assumed to bend or tilt, but depend critically on the measured values of filament sliding and elastic strain.

Force generation and phosphate release steps in skinned rabbit soleus slow-twitch muscle fibers

The force-generation and phosphate-release steps of the cross-bridge cycle in rabbit soleus slow-twitch muscle fibers (STF) were investigated using sinusoidal analysis, and the results were compared with those of rabbit psoas fast-twitch fibers (FTF). Single fiber preparations were activated at pCa 4.40 and ionic strength 180 mM at 20 degrees C. The effects of inorganic phosphate (Pi) concentrations on three exponential processes, B, C, and D, were studied. Results are consistent with the following cross-bridge scheme: [formula: see text] where A is actin, M is myosin, D is MgADP, and P is inorganic phosphate. The values determined are k4 = 5.7 +/- 0.5 s-1 (rate constant of isomerization step, N = 9, mean +/- SE), k-4 = 4.5 +/- 0.5 s-1 (rate constant of reverse isomerization), K4 = 1.37 +/- 0.13 (equilibrium constant of the isomerization), and K5 = 0.18 +/- 0.01 mM-1 (Pi association constant). The isomerization step (k4) in soleus STF is 20 times slower, and its reversal (k-4) is 20 times slower than psoas fibers. Consequently, the equilibrium constant of the isomerization step (K4) is the same in these two types of fibers. The Pi association constant (K5) is slightly higher in STF than in FTF, indicating that Pi binds to cross-bridges slightly more tightly in STF than FTF. By correlating the cross-bridge distribution with isometric tension, it was confirmed that force is generated during the isomerization (step 4) of the AMDP state and before Pi release in soleus STF.

Compliance of thin filaments in skinned fibers of rabbit skeletal muscle

The mechanical compliance (reciprocal of stiffness) of thin filaments was estimated from the relative compliance of single, skinned muscle fibers in rigor at sarcomere lengths between 1.8 and 2.4 micron. The compliance of the fibers was calculated as the ratio of sarcomere length change to tension change during imposition of repetitive cycles of small stretches and releases. Fiber compliance decreased as the sarcomere length was decreased below 2.4 micron. The compliance of the thin filaments could be estimated from this decrement because in this range of lengths overlap between the thick and thin filaments is complete and all of the myosin heads bind to the thin filament in rigor. Thus, the compliance of the overlap region of the sarcomere is constant as length is changed and the decrease in fiber compliance is due to decrease of the nonoverlap length of the thin filaments (the I band). The compliance value obtained for the thin filaments implies that at 2.4-microns sarcomere length, the thin filaments contribute approximately 55% of the total sarcomere compliance. Considering that the sarcomeres are approximately 1.25-fold more compliant in active isometric contractions than in rigor, the thin filaments contribute approximately 44% to sarcomere compliance during isometric contraction.

Mechanisms for the mechanical plasticity of tracheal smooth muscle

In smooth muscle tissues, the relationship between muscle or cell length and active force can be modulated by altering the cell or tissue length during stimulation. Mechanisms for this mechanical plasticity were investigated by measuring muscle stiffness during isometric contractions in which contractile force was graded by changing stimulus intensity or muscle length. Stiffness was significantly higher in contracted than in resting muscles at comparable forces; however, the relationship between stiffness and force during force development was curvilinear and independent of muscle length and stimulus intensity. This suggests that muscle stiffness during force development reflects properties of cellular components other than cross bridges which contribute to the series elasticity only during activation. During the tonic phase of isometric contraction, muscle stiffness increased while force remained constant. A step decrease in the length of a contracted muscle resulted in a high level of stiffness relative to force during isometric force redevelopment following the length step. We propose that the arrangement of the cytoskeleton can adjust to changes in the conformation of resting smooth muscle cells but that the organization of the cytoskeleton becomes more fixed upon contractile activation and is modulated very slowly during a sustained contraction. This may provide a mechanism for optimizing force development to the physical conformation of the cell at the time of activation.

Effect of stretch and release on equatorial X-ray diffraction during a twitch contraction of frog skeletal muscle

Time-resolved intensity measurements of the x-ray equatorial reflections were made during twitch contractions of frog skeletal muscles, to which stretches or releases were applied at various times. A ramp stretch applied at the onset of a twitch (duration, 15 ms; amplitude, approximately 3% of muscle length) caused a faster and larger development of contractile force than in an isometric twitch. The stretch accelerated the decrease of the 1.0 reflection intensity (I1,0). The magnitude of increase of the 1,1 reflection intensity (I1,1) was reduced by the stretch, but its time course was also accelerated. A release applied at the peak of a twitch or later (duration, 5 ms; amplitude, approximately 1.5%) caused only a partial redevelopment of tension. The release produced clear reciprocal changes of reflections toward their relaxed levels, i.e., the I1,0 increased and the I1,1 decreased. A release applied earlier than the twitch peak had smaller effects on the reflection intensities. The results suggest that a strength applied at the onset of a twitch causes a faster radial movement of the myosin heads toward actin, whereas a release applied at or later than the peak of a twitch accelerates their return to the thick filament backbone. The results are discussed in the context of the regulation of the myosin head attachment by calcium.

Strain sensitivity and turnover rate of low force cross-bridges in contracting skeletal muscle fibers in the presence of phosphate

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) decreases the isometric tension of skinned skeletal muscle fibers, presumably by increasing the relative fraction of a low force quaternary complex of actin, myosin, ADP, and Pi (A.M.ADP.Pi). At the same time, Pi gives rise to a fast relaxing mechanical component as detected by oscillations at 500 Hz. To characterize the dynamic properties of this A.M.ADP.Pi complex, the effect of Pi on the tension response to stretch was investigated with rabbit psoas fibers. A ramp stretch applied in the presence of 20 mM Pi increased tension more than in the control solution (0 mM Pi) but reduced the fast relaxing component to the control level. Thus, a stretch seems to convert the low force, fast relaxing A.M.ADP.Pi complex to a high force, slow relaxing form. However, the Pi-induced enhancement of the tension response was not observed until the fibers were stretched more than 0.4% of their length, suggesting that a critical cross-bridge extension of approximately 4 nm is required for this conversion. The rate constant of the attachment/detachment of this low force complex was estimated from the velocity dependence of the enhancement. It was approximately 10 s-1, in marked contrast to the A.M.ADP.Pi complex under low salt, relaxed conditions (approximately 10,000 s-1). The enhancement of the tension response was not observed when isometric tension was reduced by lowering free calcium, implying that calcium and Pi affect different steps in the actomyosin ATPase cycle during contraction.

Effect of series elasticity on delay in development of tension relative to stiffness during muscle activation

Experimental data have indicated that during activation, the attachment of myosin to actin, measured by mechanical stiffness, precedes tension generation by 10-30 ms. Using computer simulation, we have investigated the effect of a series elastic element on the lag between stiffness and tension development during muscle activation. Two versions of the two-state cross-bridge model originally proposed by Huxley and a three-state model were considered. After simulated activation, stiffness and tension increased with rates that were strongly dependent on the series elastic strain. In the absence of a series elastic element, the rise in stiffness preceded, lagged, or was coincident with the increase in tension, depending on the model. For large elastic strains, tension lagged stiffness for all models. Lags of 10-30 ms could be obtained with elastic strains of 0.3-1% of the muscle length. This is a realistic value in experiments without sarcomere length servocontrol, suggesting that series elasticity may be an important contributor to the experimentally observed lag between tension and stiffness.

Development of stiffness precedes cross-bridge attachment during the early tension rise in single frog muscle fibres

1. Force responses to ramp stretches were recorded in single muscle fibres isolated from the lumbricalis muscle of the frog. Stretches were applied at rest and at progressively increasing times after a single stimulus. 2. The increase of fibre stiffness that precedes tension development has a 'static' component that accounts for the whole fibre stiffness increase during the latent period and at very low tension at the beginning of the twitch. 3. Static stiffness increase was not affected by 2,3-butanedione-2-monoxime, a drug that almost completely inhibited twitch tension. 4. Static stiffness increased approximately 5-fold as the sarcomere length was increased from 2.1 to 2.84 microns. 5. These results suggest that static fibre stiffness increase is not attributable to the formation of non-force-generating cross-bridges.

Orientation and dynamics of myosin heads in aluminum fluoride induced pre-power stroke states: an EPR study

We have determined the orientation and dynamics of the putative pre-power stroke crossbridges in skinned muscle fibers labeled with maleimide spin-label at Cys-707 of myosin. Orientation was measured using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and mobility by saturation transfer EPR. The crossbridges are trapped in the pre-power stroke conformation in the presence of aluminum fluoride, Ca, and ATP. In agreement with data published for unlabeled fibers (Chase et al., 1994), spin-labeled muscle fibers display 42.5% of rigor stiffness, without the generation of force. The trapped crossbridges are as disordered as the relaxed heads, but their microsecond dynamics are significantly restricted. Modeling of the immobile fraction (35%), in terms of attached heads as estimated from stiffness, suggests that the bound heads rotate with a correlation time tau r = 150-400 microseconds, as compared to tau r = 3 microseconds for the heads in relaxed fibers. These "strongly" attached myosin heads, at orientations other than in rigor, are a candidate for the state from which head rotation generates force, as postulated by H. E. Huxley (1969). Ordering of the heads may well be the structural event driving the generation of force.

Cross-bridge scheme and force per cross-bridge state in skinned rabbit psoas muscle fibers

The rate and association constants (kinetic constants) which comprise a seven state cross-bridge scheme were deduced by sinusoidal analysis in chemically skinned rabbit psoas muscle fibers at 20 degrees C, 200 mM ionic strength, and during maximal Ca2+ activation (pCa 4.54-4.82). The kinetic constants were then used to calculate the steady state probability of cross-bridges in each state as the function of MgATP, MgADP, and phosphate (Pi) concentrations. This calculation showed that 72% of available cross-bridges were (strongly) attached during our control activation (5 mM MgATP, 8 mM Pi), which agreed approximately with the stiffness ratio (active:rigor, 69 +/- 3%); active stiffness was measured during the control activation, and rigor stiffness after an induction of the rigor state. By assuming that isometric tension is a linear combination of probabilities of cross-bridges in each state, and by measuring tension as the function of MgATP, MgADP, and Pi concentrations, we deduced the force associated with each cross-bridge state. Data from the osmotic compression of muscle fibers by dextran T500 were used to deduce the force associated with one of the cross-bridge states. Our results show that force is highest in the AM*ADP.Pi state (A = actin, M = myosin). Since the state which leads into the AM*ADP.Pi state is the weakly attached AM.ADP.Pi state, we confirm that the force development occurs on Pi isomerization (AM.ADP.Pi --> AM*ADP.Pi). Our results also show that a minimal force change occurs with the release of Pi or MgADP, and that force declines gradually with ADP isomerization (AM*ADP -->AM.ADP), ATP isomerization (AM+ATP-->AM*ATP), and with cross-bridge detachment. Force of the AM state agreed well with force measured after induction of the rigor state, indicating that the AM state is a close approximation of the rigor state. The stiffness results obtained as functions of MgATP, MgADP, and Pi concentrations were generally consistent with the cross-bridge scheme.

Taking the first steps in contraction mechanics of single myocytes from frog heart

Intact or skinned atrial and ventricular myocytes from frog heart were mounted horizontally between the lever arms of a force transducer and a servo-controlled electromagnetic loud-speaker "motor" in a trough filled with Ringer or relaxing solution. The myocyte length-sarcomere length relation for intact preparations at rest is linear at least in the range from l0 (sarcomere length about 2.1 microns, resting force zero) to 1.6 l0 (resting force about 100 nN). The peak force value for control twitches (21-23 degrees C, stimulus interval 10 s, [Ca2+]o 1 mM) varies from 20 to 100 nN in atrial and ventricular intact myocytes. The effects induced by isoprenaline or changes in [Ca2+]o, stimulation pattern and bath temperature on twitch characteristics are comparable to those observed in multicellular preparations. The steady force produced by maximally Ca(2+)-activated skinned myocytes is much greater than that developed in control twitches and varies from 0.5 to 3.5 microN in different cells. The saturating pCa in the activating solution is around 5.50. The force response of a resting myocyte to slow ramp stretches shows an initial velocity- and length-dependent component during the stretch itself and, after completion of the length change, a gradual recovery towards a steady level which only depends on the stretch extent. The force response of a stimulated myocyte to length steps complete in 2 ms consists of an apparently elastic change during the step itself and then of a rapid partial recovery followed by slowering of recovery. Whether or not the force recovery includes different phases as reported for skeletal muscle remains unclear.

Measurement of transverse stiffness change during contraction in frog skeletal muscle by scanning laser acoustic microscope

The scanning laser acoustic microscope (SLAM) was utilized to measure the change in the propagation velocity in the transverse direction during contraction in living skeletal muscles of the frog. The SLAM was operated at 100 MHz and interferograms were produced on a CRT in real time. The images of the interferogram were processed by image-analyzer and the propagation velocity was calculated from the shift of the interference line at rest and during contraction. In all the measurements (n = 15), the velocities during contraction were clearly slower (-7.6 m/s) than at rest and this means that the transverse stiffness decreased during contraction (-2.4 x 10(7) N/m2). The decrease in the propagation velocity preceded the increase in force by 30-40 ms after stimulation, suggesting that the decrease in the transverse stiffness reflects the basic molecular change in muscle contraction.

Force response of unstimulated intact frog muscle fibres to ramp stretches

The possibility that weakly binding bridges are attached to actin in the absence of Ca2+ under physiological conditions was investigated by studying the force response of unstimulated intact muscle fibres of the frog to fast ramp stretches. The force response during the stretching period is divided into two phases: phase 1, coincident with the acceleration period of the sarcomere length change and phase 2, synchronous with sarcomere elongation at constant speed. The phase 1 amplitude increases linearly with the stretching speed in all the range tested, while phase 2 increases with the speed but reaches a plateau level at about 50 x 10(3) nm/half sarcomere per second. The analysis of data shows that phase 1, which corresponds to the initial 5-10 nm/half sarcomere of elongation, is very likely a pure viscous response; its amplitude increases with sarcomere length and it is not affected by the electrical stimulation of the fibre. Phase 2 is a viscoelastic response with a relaxation time of the order of 1 ms; its amplitude increases with sarcomere lengths and with the stimulation. These data suggest that weakly binding bridges are not present in a significant amount in unstimulated intact fibres.

Mechanics and structure of cross-bridges during contractions initiated by photolysis of caged Ca2+

Cross-bridge structure and mechanics were studied during development of skinned frog muscle fiber contractions initiated by photolysis of DM-nitrophen (a caged Ca2+). Stiffness rises earlier than tension following photo-release of Ca2+. A similar lead of stiffness in electrically stimulated fibers and the early rise of the I11/I10 ratio of equatorial X-ray reflections are thought to signal attachment of cross-bridges into states with lower force than in steady-state contraction. We investigated the structure of the early attachments by electron microscopy of fibers activated by photolysis of DM-nitrophen and then ultra-rapidly frozen and freeze substituted with tannic acid and OsO4. Sections from relaxed fibers show helical tracks of myosin heads on the thick filaments surface. Optical diffraction patterns show strong meridional intensities and layer lines up to the 6th order of 1/43 nm, indicating preservation and resolution of periodic structures smaller than 10 nm. Following photo-release of Ca2+, the 1/43 nm myosin layer line becomes less intense, and higher orders disappear. A approximately 1/36 nm layer line appears early (12-15 ms) and becomes stronger at later times. The 1/14.3 nm meridional spot weakens initially and recovers at a later time, while it broadens laterally. The 1/43 nm meridional spot is present during contraction, but the 2nd order meridional spot (1/21.5 nm) is weak or absent. These results are consistent with time resolved X-ray diffraction data on the periodic structures within the fiber. In sections along the 1,1 plane of activated fibers, the individual cross-bridges have a wide range of shapes and angles, perpendicular to the fiber axis or pointing toward or away from the Z-line. Fibers frozen at 13 ms, 33 ms, and 220 ms after photolysis all show surprisingly similar cross-bridges. Thus, a highly variable distribution of cross-bridge shapes and angles is established early in contraction.

Effect of Ca2+ on weak cross-bridge interaction with actin in the presence of adenosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate)

In the presence of the nucleotide analog adenosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate (ATP[gamma S]), effects of Ca2+ on stiffness and equatorial x-ray diffraction patterns of single skinned fibers of the rabbit psoas muscle were studied. It is shown that cross-bridges in the presence of ATP[gamma S] have properties of the weak-binding states of the ATP hydrolysis cycle. Raising the Ca2+ concentration up to pCa 4.5 has little effect on actin affinity of cross-bridges in the presence of ATP[gamma S]. However, the rate constants for cross-bridge dissociation and reassociation from and to actin are reduced by about 2 orders of magnitude. In addition, nucleotide affinity of the cross-bridge is much smaller at high Ca2+ concentrations. Implications for interpretation of fiber stiffness recorded during isotonic shortening and the rising phase of a tetanus are discussed.

Effects of 2,3-butanedione monoxime on the crossbridge kinetics in frog single muscle fibres

The effects of 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM) on contraction characteristics were studied at 5 degrees C in single intact fibres isolated from the tibialis anterior muscle of the frog. The force-velocity relation was determined using the controlled-velocity method in either whole fibres or short fibre segments in which sarcomere shortening was measured by a laser light diffraction method. It is shown that 3 mM BDM decreases the speed of rise and the amount of tetanus tension, reduces the maximum velocity of shortening and increases the curvature of the force-velocity relation, as well as the value for the stiffness to tension ratio. BDM also slowed down the redevelopment of tetanus tension after a period of unloaded shortening both in fixed-end and in length-clamp conditions. In normal and in BDM-treated fibres length-clamping increased the speed of the initial rise of tetanus tension but not that of the recovery after shortening. The observed force-velocity data points were fitted by the Huxley (1957) equation. It was found that BDM produces a conspicuous decrease of the rate constant for crossbridge attachment. This effect, and also a reduction of the force per crossbridge, are responsible for the depression of the contractile characteristics produced by BDM.