Effects of Thermal Tension Transients on the Muscle Crossbridge

The transverse thermal fluctuations of the myosin molecule are significant. This paper explores the contribution of lateral myosin bending to the developed crossbridge force and power stroke. The equipartition theorem is used to calculate the mode amplitudes for myosin bending. Crossbridge axial force [Formula: see text] and power stroke [Formula: see text] are developed by transverse in-plane fluctuations along the [Formula: see text]- and [Formula: see text]-axes. Practical applications include the effects of temperature on the flexibility of the myosin molecule stiffness and tension, relevant to man-made fabrication of synthetic muscle using micromachines and nanowires. Scaling laws for the [Formula: see text] bending amplitude depend on filament length, mode number, and stiffness, as [Formula: see text], and (EI)[Formula: see text]. This paper quantifies the effects of thermal motion on the mechanics of miniature molecular motors, including the muscle crossbridge.

Measurement and Sources of Lateral Tape Motion: A Review

The sources of lateral tape motion in a tape drive are reviewed. Currently used measurement methods and models for lateral tape motion are analyzed and compared. The effect of roller run-out, tape edge contact, and tape tension transients on lateral tape motion is discussed. A dual stage actuator tape head is investigated to improve track-following capability and increase the track density on a magnetic tape.

Effects of Halothane on the Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+Stores and Contractile Proteins in Rabbit Pulmonary Arteries

Background The authors' purpose of this study was to elucidate the mechanisms of direct effects of halothane on the contractile proteins and Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ stores using isolated skinned strips (sarcolemma permealized with saponin) from rabbit pulmonary arteries. Methods The sarcoplasmic reticular Ca2+ stores were examined by immersing the skinned strips sequentially in solutions to load Ca2+ into and release Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum using caffeine, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, or halothane. The contractile proteins were assessed by activating the strips with Ca2+ followed by administration of halothane (with or without protein kinase C inhibitors). Tension, fura-2 fluorescence activated by Ca2+ release, and phosphorylation of myosin light chains were measured. Results Halothane (0.07-3.00%) increased Ca2+, tension, and phosphorylation of myosin light chains in a dose-dependent manner. Halothane decreased accumulation of Ca2+ in the sarcoplasmic reticulum and enhanced the caffeine-induced tension transients. In strips pretreated with caffeine or inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, halothane-induced tension transients were reduced but Ca2+ was not. In strips activated by 1 microM Ca2+, halothane (0.5-3.0%) decreased 20-45% of the activated force at 15 min. Halothane (3%) transiently increased the force (20%) associated with increases in Ca2+ and phosphorylation of myosin light chains. The increased force was abolished and the subsequent relaxation was enhanced by the protein kinase C inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide but not by indolocarbazole Gö-6976. Conclusions In skinned pulmonary arterial strips, halothane, at clinical concentrations, inhibits uptake of Ca2+ by and induces release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores possibly shared by caffeine and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, which are regulated by phosphorylation of myosin light chains. The time-dependent inhibition of the contractile proteins by halothane may be mediated by Ca2+-independent protein kinase C.

Sarcoplasmic reticulum function in determining atrioventricular contractile differences in rat heart

The relationships between the contractile characteristics and the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) function of rat atrial and ventricular trabeculae were compared. The isometric developed tension (DT) and the rates of contraction (+dT/d t) and relaxation (−dT/d t) normalized to cross-sectional area were 3.7, 2.2, and 1.8 times lower, respectively, in intact atrial strips compared with ventricular strips, whereas +dT/d t and −dT/d t(normalized to DT) were 2.3 and 2.8 times higher, respectively, in atria. Atria exhibited a maximal potentiation of DT after shorter rest periods than ventricles and a lower reversal for prolonged rest periods. Caffeine-induced tension transients in saponin-permeabilized fibers suggested that the Ca2+concentration released in atrial myofibrils reached a lower maximum and decayed more slowly than in ventricular preparations. However, the tension-time integrals indicated an equivalent capacity of sequestrable Ca2+ in SR from both tissues. In atrial, as in ventricular myocardium, the SR Ca2+ uptake was more efficiently supported by ATP produced by the SR-bound MM form of creatine kinase (CK; MM-CK) than by externally added ATP, suggesting a tight functional coupling between the SR Ca2+adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) and MM-CK. The maximal rate of oxalate-supported Ca2+ uptake was two times higher in atrial than in ventricular tissue homogenates. The SR Ca2+-ATPase 2a mRNA content normalized to 18S RNA was 38% higher in atria than in ventricles, whereas the amount of mRNA encoding the α-myosin heavy chain, calsequestrin, and the ryanodine receptor was similar in both tissues. Thus a lower amount of readily releasable Ca2+ together with a faster uptake rate may partly account for the shorter time course and lower tension development in intact atrial myocardium compared with ventricular myocardium.

Molecular forces involved in force generation during skeletal muscle contraction.

Recent advances in protein chemistry and the kinetic analysis of tension transients in skeletal muscle fibres have enabled us to elucidate the molecular forces involved in force generation by cross-bridges. On the basis of the temperature effect, we conclude that the elementary step that generates force is an endothermic reaction (the enthalpy change delta H degree = 124 kJ mol-1 at 15 degrees C), which accompanies a large entropy increase (delta S degree = 430JK-1 mol-1) and a reduction in the heat capacity (delta C p = -6.4kJ K-1 mol-1). Thus, it can be concluded that the force-generating step is an entropy-driven reaction. The above results suggest that hydrophobic interactions are the primary cause of force generation, and that polar interactions (hydrogen bonding and charge interactions) are involved to a lesser degree. On the basis of the thermodynamic data, we estimate that during force generation approximately 50 nm2 of surface area is involved for hydrophobic interactions and another 30 nm2 for polar interactions. These data suggest that both the actomyosin interaction and the cleft closure of the myosin head are essential for force generation.