scholarly journals ANOMALOUS CONTRACTION OF INVERTEBRATE STRIATED MUSCLE

1965 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 639-649 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Stephens

The phenomenon of A band shortening or contraction has been investigated in glycerinated myofibrils of Pecten irradians, Homarus americanus, Cambarus virilis, and Limulus polyphemus through the techniques of ultraviolet microbeam inactivation and polarization microscopy. With the former method, it has been shown that these muscles, even though exhibiting the shortening effect, contract in a manner consistent with only the sliding filament model. Intrinsic birefringence studies have indicated no significant changes in mass distribution or orientation within the shortened A bands. Except in the case of Limulus muscle, the shortening effect was seen only in contraction under tension. The magnitude of this anomalous phenomenon was dependent upon glycerination time and has been duplicated in rabbit psoas muscle through brief trypsin treatment. A band shortening could not be observed in glutaraldehyde-fixed muscle or in myofibrils glycerinated for only short periods. It has been concluded that the phenomenon of A band contraction is an artifact induced by the glycerination procedure, possibly through weakening of the sarcomere structure. However, the fact that the A band shortens under tension rather than lengthens poses an interesting paradox.

1976 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 497-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
D L Toylor

The changes in birefringence in the rigor to relax transition of single triton-extracted rabbit psoas muscle fibers have been investigated with quantitative polarized light techniques. The total birefringence of rest lenght fibers in rigor was (1.46 +/- 0.08) x 10(-3) and increased to (1.67 +/- 0.05) x 10(-3) after Mg-ATP relaxation. Pyrophosphate relaxation increased the total birefringence only slightly, whereas subsequent Mg-ATP relaxation elicited the maximum increase in birefringence. Changes in lattice spacing did not account for the total increase in birefrigence during relaxation. Moreover, the increase in total birefringence was attributable to increases in intrinsic birefringence as well as form birefringence. No change in birefringence was exhibited upon exposure to a relaxation solution after myosin extraction. Synthetic myosin filaments were prepared and treated with relaxation and rigor solutions. The negatively stained filaments treated with a rigor solution had gross irregular projections at either end, while the filaments treated with a relaxing solution were more spindle shaped. The results are compatible with the view that the subfragment-2 moieties of myosin angle away from the myosin aggregates (light meromyosin) to permit the attachment of the subfragment-1 moieties to actin.


1961 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
George W. de Villafranca ◽  
Delbert E. Philpott

1969 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 314-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. ARNOLD ◽  
J. NOLTE ◽  
D. PETTE

Complete extraction of aldolase from minced rabbit psoas muscle was achieved by successive extraction steps in 0.1 M phosphate buffer. Aldolase was then readsorbed quantitatively to the depleted myofibrils. Extraction, readsorption and a final redsorption of the enzyme were followed quantitatively by enzyme activity determinations and qualitatively by histochemical staining of aldolase. The intracellular location of the readsorbed enzyme was found to be identical with that of aldolase in native muscle. In both cases, aldolase was localized within the isotropic bands. These results as well as the previously demonstrated binding of the enzyme to F-actin suggest that aldolase is located within the interfilamentary sarcoplasm of the isotropic bands and is probably also bound in vivo to the actin filaments.


2021 ◽  
Vol 153 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Masataka Kawai ◽  
Robert Stehle ◽  
Gabriele Pfitzer ◽  
Bogdan Iorga

In this study, we aimed to study the role of inorganic phosphate (Pi) in the production of oscillatory work and cross-bridge (CB) kinetics of striated muscle. We applied small-amplitude sinusoidal length oscillations to rabbit psoas single myofibrils and muscle fibers, and the resulting force responses were analyzed during maximal Ca2+ activation (pCa 4.65) at 15°C. Three exponential processes, A, B, and C, were identified from the tension transients, which were studied as functions of Pi concentration ([Pi]). In myofibrils, we found that process C, corresponding to phase 2 of step analysis during isometric contraction, is almost a perfect single exponential function compared with skinned fibers, which exhibit distributed rate constants, as described previously. The [Pi] dependence of the apparent rate constants 2πb and 2πc, and that of isometric tension, was studied to characterize the force generation and Pi release steps in the CB cycle, as well as the inhibitory effect of Pi. In contrast to skinned fibers, Pi does not accumulate in the core of myofibrils, allowing sinusoidal analysis to be performed nearly at [Pi] = 0. Process B disappeared as [Pi] approached 0 mM in myofibrils, indicating the significance of the role of Pi rebinding to CBs in the production of oscillatory work (process B). Our results also suggest that Pi competitively inhibits ATP binding to CBs, with an inhibitory dissociation constant of ∼2.6 mM. Finally, we found that the sinusoidal waveform of tension is mostly distorted by second harmonics and that this distortion is closely correlated with production of oscillatory work, indicating that the mechanism of generating force is intrinsically nonlinear. A nonlinear force generation mechanism suggests that the length-dependent intrinsic rate constant is asymmetric upon stretch and release and that there may be a ratchet mechanism involved in the CB cycle.


1997 ◽  
Vol 200 (3) ◽  
pp. 477-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Wilkens ◽  
G Davidson ◽  
M Cavey

The peripheral resistance to flow through each arterial bed (in actuality, the entire pathway from the heart back to the pericardial sinus) and the mechanical properties of the seven arteries leaving the lobster heart are measured and compared. Resistance is inversely proportional to artery radius and, for each pathway, the resistance falls non-linearly as flow rate increases. The resistance of the hepatic arterial system is lower than that predicted on the basis of its radius. Body-part posture and movement may affect the resistance to perfusion of that region. The total vascular resistance placed on the heart when each artery is perfused at a rate typical of in vivo flow rates is approximately 1.93 kPa s ml-1. All vessels exhibit adluminal layers of fibrils and are relatively compliant at pressures at or below heart systolic pressure. Arteries become stiffer at pressures greater than peak systolic pressure and at radii greater than twice the unpressurized radius. The dorsal abdominal artery possesses striated muscle in the lateral walls. This artery remains compliant over the entire range of hemolymph pressures expected in lobsters. These trends are illustrated when the incremental modulus of elasticity is compared among arteries. All arteries should function as Windkessels to damp the pulsatile pressures and flows generated by the heart. The dorsal abdominal artery may also actively regulate its flow.


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