scholarly journals Non-cross Bridge Viscoelastic Elements Contribute to Muscle Force and Work During Stretch-Shortening Cycles: Evidence From Whole Muscles and Permeabilized Fibers

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony L. Hessel ◽  
Jenna A. Monroy ◽  
Kiisa C. Nishikawa
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Force ◽  
Isometric Force ◽  
Peak Force ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Phase Dependence ◽  
Cross Bridge ◽  
Viscoelastic Element ◽  
Length Changes ◽  
Cross Bridges ◽  
Dynamic Length

The sliding filament–swinging cross bridge theory of skeletal muscle contraction provides a reasonable description of muscle properties during isometric contractions at or near maximum isometric force. However, it fails to predict muscle force during dynamic length changes, implying that the model is not complete. Mounting evidence suggests that, along with cross bridges, a Ca2+-sensitive viscoelastic element, likely the titin protein, contributes to muscle force and work. The purpose of this study was to develop a multi-level approach deploying stretch-shortening cycles (SSCs) to test the hypothesis that, along with cross bridges, Ca2+-sensitive viscoelastic elements in sarcomeres contribute to force and work. Using whole soleus muscles from wild type and mdm mice, which carry a small deletion in the N2A region of titin, we measured the activation- and phase-dependence of enhanced force and work during SSCs with and without doublet stimuli. In wild type muscles, a doublet stimulus led to an increase in peak force and work per cycle, with the largest effects occurring for stimulation during the lengthening phase of SSCs. In contrast, mdm muscles showed neither doublet potentiation features, nor phase-dependence of activation. To further distinguish the contributions of cross bridge and non-cross bridge elements, we performed SSCs on permeabilized psoas fiber bundles activated to different levels using either [Ca2+] or [Ca2+] plus the myosin inhibitor 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM). Across activation levels ranging from 15 to 100% of maximum isometric force, peak force, and work per cycle were enhanced for fibers in [Ca2+] plus BDM compared to [Ca2+] alone at a corresponding activation level, suggesting a contribution from Ca2+-sensitive, non-cross bridge, viscoelastic elements. Taken together, our results suggest that a tunable viscoelastic element such as titin contributes to: (1) persistence of force at low [Ca2+] in doublet potentiation; (2) phase- and length-dependence of doublet potentiation observed in wild type muscles and the absence of these effects in mdm muscles; and (3) increased peak force and work per cycle in SSCs. We conclude that non-cross bridge viscoelastic elements, likely titin, contribute substantially to muscle force and work, as well as the phase-dependence of these quantities, during dynamic length changes.

scholarly journals The active force–length relationship is invisible during extensive eccentric contractions in skinned skeletal muscle fibres

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1854) ◽  
pp. 20162497 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Tomalka ◽  
Christian Rode ◽  
Jens Schumacher ◽  
Tobias Siebert
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Force ◽  
Isometric Force ◽  
Eccentric Contractions ◽  
Muscle Fibres ◽  
Active Force ◽  
Optimal Length ◽  
Cross Bridge ◽  
Length Relationship ◽  
Maximum Isometric Force ◽  
Cross Bridges

In contrast to experimentally observed progressive forces in eccentric contractions, cross-bridge and sliding-filament theories of muscle contraction predict that varying myofilament overlap will lead to increases and decreases in active force during eccentric contractions. Non-cross-bridge contributions potentially explain the progressive total forces. However, it is not clear whether underlying abrupt changes in the slope of the nonlinear force–length relationship are visible in long isokinetic stretches, and in which proportion cross-bridges and non-cross-bridges contribute to muscle force. Here, we show that maximally activated single skinned rat muscle fibres behave (almost across the entire working range) like linear springs. The force slope is about three times the maximum isometric force per optimal length. Cross-bridge and non-cross-bridge contributions to the muscle force were investigated using an actomyosin inhibitor. The experiments revealed a nonlinear progressive contribution of non-cross-bridge forces and suggest a nonlinear cross-bridge contribution similar to the active force–length relationship (though with increased optimal length and maximum isometric force). The linear muscle behaviour might significantly reduce the control effort. Moreover, the observed slight increase in slope with initial length is in accordance with current models attributing the non-cross-bridge force to titin.

scholarly journals Characterization of cross-bridge elasticity and kinetics of cross-bridge cycling during force development in single smooth muscle cells.

1988 ◽  
Vol 91 (6) ◽  
pp. 761-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
D M Warshaw ◽  
D D Rees ◽  
F S Fay
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Isometric Force ◽  
Force Development ◽  
Cross Bridge ◽  
Tension Recovery ◽  
Length Changes ◽  
Cross Bridges ◽  
Initial Force ◽  
Kinetics Of

Force development in smooth muscle, as in skeletal muscle, is believed to reflect recruitment of force-generating myosin cross-bridges. However, little is known about the events underlying cross-bridge recruitment as the muscle cell approaches peak isometric force and then enters a period of tension maintenance. In the present studies on single smooth muscle cells isolated from the toad (Bufo marinus) stomach muscularis, active muscle stiffness, calculated from the force response to small sinusoidal length changes (0.5% cell length, 250 Hz), was utilized to estimate the relative number of attached cross-bridges. By comparing stiffness during initial force development to stiffness during force redevelopment immediately after a quick release imposed at peak force, we propose that the instantaneous active stiffness of the cell reflects both a linearly elastic cross-bridge element having 1.5 times the compliance of the cross-bridge in frog skeletal muscle and a series elastic component having an exponential length-force relationship. At the onset of force development, the ratio of stiffness to force was 2.5 times greater than at peak isometric force. These data suggest that, upon activation, cross-bridges attach in at least two states (i.e., low-force-producing and high-force-producing) and redistribute to a steady state distribution at peak isometric force. The possibility that the cross-bridge cycling rate was modulated with time was also investigated by analyzing the time course of tension recovery to small, rapid step length changes (0.5% cell length in 2.5 ms) imposed during initial force development, at peak force, and after 15 s of tension maintenance. The rate of tension recovery slowed continuously throughout force development following activation and slowed further as force was maintained. Our results suggest that the kinetics of force production in smooth muscle may involve a redistribution of cross-bridge populations between two attached states and that the average cycling rate of these cross-bridges becomes slower with time during contraction.

Oxytocin-mediated recruitment of slowly cycling cross bridges and isometric force in rat myometrium

1996 ◽  
Vol 270 (2) ◽  
pp. E203-E208
Author(s):  
A. L. Ruzycky ◽  
B. T. Ameredes
Keyword(s):  
Isometric Force ◽  
Additional Stress ◽  
Shortening Velocity ◽  
Cycling Rate ◽  
Quick Release ◽  
Cross Bridge ◽  
Cross Bridges ◽  
Unit Stress ◽  
Release Method ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship between cross-bridge cycling rate and isometric stress was investigated in rat myometrium. Stress production by myometrial strips was measured under resting, K+ depolarization, and oxytocin-stimulated conditions. Cross-bridge cycling rates were determined from measurements of maximal unloaded shortening velocity, using the quick-release method. Force redevelopment after the quick release was used as an index of cross-bridge attachment. With maximal K+ stimulation, stress increased with increased cross-bridge cycling (+76%; P < 0.05) and attached cross bridges (+112%; P < 0.05). Addition of oxytocin during K+ stimulation further increased stress (+30%; P < 0.05). With this force component, the cross-bridge cycling rate decreased (-60%; P < 0.05) similar to that under resting conditions. Attached cross-bridges did not increase with this additional stress. The results suggest two distinct mechanisms mediating myometrial contractions. One requires elevated intracellular calcium and rapidly cycling cross bridges. The other mechanism may be independent of calcium and appears to be mediated by slowly cycling cross bridges, supporting greater unit stress.

Cooperative attachment of cross bridges predicts regulation of smooth muscle force by myosin phosphorylation

2004 ◽  
Vol 287 (3) ◽  
pp. C594-C602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Rembold ◽  
Robert L. Wardle ◽  
Christopher J. Wingard ◽  
Timothy W. Batts ◽  
Elaine F. Etter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Muscle Force ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Force Development ◽  
Cross Bridge ◽  
Cross Bridges ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Cooperative Activation

Serine 19 phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC) appears to be the primary determinant of smooth muscle force development. The relationship between MRLC phosphorylation and force is nonlinear, showing that phosphorylation is not a simple switch regulating the number of cycling cross bridges. We reexamined the MRLC phosphorylation-force relationship in slow, tonic swine carotid media; fast, phasic rabbit urinary bladder detrusor; and very fast, tonic rat anococcygeus. We found a sigmoidal dependence of force on MRLC phosphorylation in all three tissues with a threshold for force development of ∼0.15 mol Pi/mol MRLC. This behavior suggests that force is regulated in a highly cooperative manner. We then determined whether a model that employs both the latch-bridge hypothesis and cooperative activation could reproduce the relationship between Ser19-MRLC phosphorylation and force without the need for a second regulatory system. We based this model on skeletal muscle in which attached cross bridges cooperatively activate thin filaments to facilitate cross-bridge attachment. We found that such a model describes both the steady-state and time-course relationship between Ser19-MRLC phosphorylation and force. The model required both cooperative activation and latch-bridge formation to predict force. The best fit of the model occurred when binding of a cross bridge cooperatively activated seven myosin binding sites on the thin filament. This result suggests cooperative mechanisms analogous to skeletal muscle that will require testing.

Contractile force of canine airway smooth muscle during cyclical length changes

1983 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 759-769 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Gunst
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Force ◽  
Isometric Force ◽  
Smooth Muscles ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Dynamic Force ◽  
Airway Caliber ◽  
Length Changes ◽  
Isometric Muscle ◽  
Isometric Muscle Force

Strips of tonically contracted canine tracheal and bronchial airway smooth muscles (AWSM) were studied in vitro to compare dynamic muscle force during stretch-retraction cycles with static isometric muscle force at various length points within the cycling range. At any particular rate, a characteristic force-length loop was obtained by cycling over a given range of lengths. Dynamic muscle force dropped well below static isometric muscle force at lengths short of the peak length at all rates of cycling. When stretch or retraction of the muscle was stopped at any point along either path of the cycle, muscle force rose to approach the isometric force at that length. Dynamic force at the peak length of the cycle remained close to, or slightly greater than, the static isometric force. The results suggest that the velocity of shortening of tonically contracted AWSM is very slow relative to the rates of cycling employed. A slow rate of shortening of AWSM relative to the rate of change in airway caliber during breathing could account for well-known effects of volume history on airway tone.

Skeletal muscle force and actomyosin ATPase activity reduced by nitric oxide donor

1997 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 1326-1332 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Perkins ◽  
Young-Soo Han ◽  
Gary C. Sieck
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Atpase Activity ◽  
Muscle Force ◽  
Isometric Force ◽  
Nitric Oxide Donor ◽  
No Donor ◽  
Single Fibers ◽  
Actomyosin Atpase ◽  
Cross Bridge

Perkins, William J., Young-Soo Han, and Gary C. Sieck.Skeletal muscle force and actomyosin ATPase activity reduced by nitric oxide donor. J. Appl. Physiol.83(4): 1326–1332, 1997.—Nitric oxide (NO) may exert direct effects on actin-myosin cross-bridge cycling by modulating critical thiols on the myosin head. In the present study, the effects of the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 100 μM to 10 mM) on mechanical properties and actomyosin adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) activity of single permeabilized muscle fibers from the rabbit psoas muscle were determined. The effects of N-ethylmaleimide (NEM; 5–250 μM), a thiol-specific alkylating reagent, on mechanical properties of single fibers were also evaluated. Both NEM (≥25 μM) and SNP (≥1 mM) significantly inhibited isometric force and actomyosin ATPase activity. The unloaded shortening velocity of SNP-treated single fibers was decreased, but to a lesser extent, suggesting that SNP effects on isometric force and actomyosin ATPase were largely due to decreased cross-bridge recruitment. The calcium sensitivity of SNP-treated single fibers was also decreased. The effects of SNP, but not NEM, on force and actomyosin ATPase activity were reversed by treatment with 10 mMdl-dithiothreitol, a thiol-reducing agent. We conclude that the NO donor SNP inhibits contractile function caused by reversible oxidation of contractile protein thiols.

scholarly journals Are Force Enhancement after Stretch and Muscle Fatigue Due to Effects of Elevated Inorganic Phosphate and Low Calcium on Cross Bridge Kinetics?

Medicina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 249
Author(s):  
Hans Degens ◽  
David A. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Fatigue ◽  
Isometric Force ◽  
Force Enhancement ◽  
Shortening Velocity ◽  
Cross Bridge ◽  
Fatigued Muscle ◽  
Butanedione Monoxime ◽  
Combined Action ◽  
Cross Bridges ◽  
Muscle Contractile

Background and Objectives: Muscle fatigue is characterised by (1) loss of force, (2) decreased maximal shortening velocity and (3) a greater resistance to stretch that could be due to reduced intracellular Ca2+ and increased Pi, which alter cross bridge kinetics. Materials and Methods: To investigate this, we used (1) 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM), believed to increase the proportion of attached but non-force-generating cross bridges; (2) Pi that increases the proportion of attached cross bridges, but with Pi still attached; and (3) reduced activating Ca2+. We used permeabilised rat soleus fibres, activated with pCa 4.5 at 15 °C. Results: The addition of 1 mM BDM or 15 mM Pi, or the lowering of the Ca2+ to pCa 5.5, all reduced the isometric force by around 50%. Stiffness decreased in proportion to isometric force when the fibres were activated at pCa 5.5, but was well maintained in the presence of Pi and BDM. Force enhancement after a stretch increased with the length of stretch and Pi, suggesting a role for titin. Maximum shortening velocity was reduced by about 50% in the presence of BDM and pCa 5.5, but was slightly increased by Pi. Neither decreasing Ca2+ nor increasing Pi alone mimicked the effects of fatigue on muscle contractile characteristics entirely. Only BDM elicited a decrease of force and slowing with maintained stiffness, similar to the situation in fatigued muscle. Conclusions: This suggests that in fatigue, there is an accumulation of attached but low-force cross bridges that cannot be the result of the combined action of reduced Ca2+ or increased Pi alone, but is probably due to a combination of factors that change during fatigue.

scholarly journals Activation Dependence of Stretch Activation in Mouse Skinned Myocardium: Implications for Ventricular Function

2006 ◽  
Vol 127 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian E. Stelzer ◽  
Lars Larsson ◽  
Daniel P. Fitzsimons ◽  
Richard L. Moss
Keyword(s):  
Isometric Force ◽  
Force Characteristic ◽  
Stretch Activation ◽  
Thin Filaments ◽  
Cross Bridge ◽  
Steady Level ◽  
Myocardial Stretch ◽  
Myosin Subfragment 1 ◽  
Activation Response ◽  
Cross Bridges

Recent evidence suggests that ventricular ejection is partly powered by a delayed development of force, i.e., stretch activation, in regions of the ventricular wall due to stretch resulting from torsional twist of the ventricle around the apex-to-base axis. Given the potential importance of stretch activation in cardiac function, we characterized the stretch activation response and its Ca2+ dependence in murine skinned myocardium at 22°C in solutions of varying Ca2+ concentrations. Stretch activation was induced by suddenly imposing a stretch of 0.5–2.5% of initial length to the isometrically contracting muscle and then holding the muscle at the new length. The force response to stretch was multiphasic: force initially increased in proportion to the amount of stretch, reached a peak, and then declined to a minimum before redeveloping to a new steady level. This last phase of the response is the delayed force characteristic of myocardial stretch activation and is presumably due to increased attachment of cross-bridges as a consequence of stretch. The amplitude and rate of stretch activation varied with Ca2+ concentration and more specifically with the level of isometric force prior to the stretch. Since myocardial force is regulated both by Ca2+ binding to troponin-C and cross-bridge binding to thin filaments, we explored the role of cross-bridge binding in the stretch activation response using NEM-S1, a strong-binding, non-force–generating derivative of myosin subfragment 1. NEM-S1 treatment at submaximal Ca2+-activated isometric forces significantly accelerated the rate of the stretch activation response and reduced its amplitude. These data show that the rate and amplitude of myocardial stretch activation vary with the level of activation and that stretch activation involves cooperative binding of cross-bridges to the thin filament. Such a mechanism would contribute to increased systolic ejection in response to increased delivery of activator Ca2+ during excitation–contraction coupling.

scholarly journals Modeling the impairment of airway smooth muscle force by stretch

2015 ◽  
Vol 118 (6) ◽  
pp. 684-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason H. T. Bates
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Airway Smooth Muscle ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Active Force ◽  
Cross Bridge ◽  
Bulk Force ◽  
Length Changes ◽  
Cross Bridges ◽  
Large Stretch ◽  
Two State Model

Imposed length changes of only a small percent produce transient reductions in active force in strips of airway smooth muscle (ASM) due to the temporary detachment of bound cross-bridges caused by the relative motion of the actin and myosin fibers. More dramatic and sustained reductions in active force occur following large changes in length. The Huxley two-state model of skeletal muscle originally proposed in 1957 and later adapted to include a four-state description of cross-bridge kinetics has been widely used to model the former phenomenon, but is unable to account for the latter unless modified to include mechanisms by which the contractile machinery in the ASM cell becomes appropriately rearranged. Even so, the Huxley model itself is based on the assumption that the contractile proteins are all aligned precisely in the direction of bulk force generation, which is not true for ASM. The present study derives a coarse-grained version of the Huxley model that is free of inherent assumptions about cross-bridge orientation. This simplified model recapitulates the key features observed in the force-length behavior of activated strips of ASM and, in addition, provides a mechanistically based way of accounting for the sustained force reductions that occur following large stretch.

scholarly journals The effects of inorganic phosphate on muscle force development and energetics: challenges in modelling related to experimental uncertainties

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alf Månsson
Keyword(s):  
Inorganic Phosphate ◽  
Muscle Force ◽  
Isometric Force ◽  
Shortening Velocity ◽  
Apparent Contradiction ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
Velocity Relationship ◽  
Force Velocity ◽  
Cross Bridges ◽  
Experimental Findings

Abstract Muscle force and power are developed by myosin cross-bridges, which cyclically attach to actin, undergo a force-generating transition and detach under turnover of ATP. The force-generating transition is intimately associated with release of inorganic phosphate (Pi) but the exact sequence of events in relation to the actual Pi release step is controversial. Details of this process are reflected in the relationships between [Pi] and the developed force and shortening velocity. In order to account for these relationships, models have proposed branched kinetic pathways or loose coupling between biochemical and force-generating transitions. A key hypothesis underlying the present study is that such complexities are not required to explain changes in the force–velocity relationship and ATP turnover rate with altered [Pi]. We therefore set out to test if models without branched kinetic paths and Pi-release occurring before the main force-generating transition can account for effects of varied [Pi] (0.1–25 mM). The models tested, one assuming either linear or non-linear cross-bridge elasticity, account well for critical aspects of muscle contraction at 0.5 mM Pi but their capacity to account for the maximum power output vary. We find that the models, within experimental uncertainties, account for the relationship between [Pi] and isometric force as well as between [Pi] and the velocity of shortening at low loads. However, in apparent contradiction with available experimental findings, the tested models produce an anomalous force–velocity relationship at elevated [Pi] and high loads with more than one possible velocity for a given load. Nevertheless, considering experimental uncertainties and effects of sarcomere non-uniformities, these discrepancies are insufficient to refute the tested models in favour of more complex alternatives.

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