Characterization of the Cold-Induced Contracture of the Anterior Byssal Retractor Muscle of Mytilus Edulis

When the anterior byssal retractor muscle (ABRM) of Mytilus edulis was subjected to a sudden reduction in temperature during a contractionrelaxation cycle, a tension increment, the cold-induced contracture (CIC), was observed. The CIC could be obtained in a muscle stimulated by the application of acetylcholine (ACh), caffeine or high-K+ solutions, but could not be elicited from a muscle at rest or in ‘catch’. When the muscle was released from ‘catch’ by the application of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), a CIC could once again be produced. The CIC tension elicited after the application of ACh was shown to follow a log-dose relationship with respect to ACh concentration but no CIC was observed at an ACh concentration at which the initial tension was 10% or less of maximum. The CIC tension decreased with time after the application of ACh and appeared to be dependent on both the initial and final temperatures and on the size of the temperature drop. The significance of these results and possible explanations are considered.

The effect of temperature on the tension responses of the anterior byssal retractor muscle (abrm) of Mytilus edulis

The effect of ambient temperature on the response of the ABRM of Mytilus edulis to acetylcholine and 5-hydroxytryptamine has been examined. As the ambient temperature was increased, the latent period and the maximum tension developed decreased while the rate of tension development and the rate of relaxation increased. The relationship between temperature and the rate of tension development showed three distinct linear phases from 2–25, 25-35 and 35-45 degrees C. The reduction in peak tension with temperature could also be resolved into three portions from 2–25, 25-40 and above 40 degrees C. As the temperature was increased above approximately 27 degrees C the rate of relaxation in the absence of 5-HT approached the rate of relaxation in the presence of 5-HT. The significance of these results and possible explanations for them are considered.

The effect of hypertonic solutions on the rate of relaxation of contracture tension in Mytilus smooth muscle

1. The effect of the bathing solution tonicity on the mechanical properties of the anterior byssal retractor muscle (ABRM) of Mytilus edulis was examined. 2. The rate of relaxation of contracture tension produced by acetylcholine (ACh) was greatly reduced when the bathing solution tonicity was increased by adding NaCl, KCl or LiCl after the removal of ACh, whereas a decreased tonicity increased the rate of relaxation. 3. The contracted ABRM in hypertonic solutions showed no active shortening after an isotonic release and barely redeveloped active tension after a quick release. 4. The resistance to stretch increased with increasing tonicity of the bathing solution. 5. The wet weight of the ABRM decreased much more markedly in sucrose-hypertonic solution than in Na-, K- or Li-hypertonic solutions, but the decrease in the rate of relaxation was less marked in the former, indicating that there may be little relation between the rate of relaxation and the degree of osmotic deformation of the ABRM fibres. 6. It is suggested that the elevated ionic strength in the myoplasm may be related to a reduction in the rate of detachment of the cross-linkages between the thick and thin filaments.

The series elastic component and the force-velocity relation in the anterior byssal retractor muscle of Mytilus edulis during active and catch contractions

1. The length changes of the anterior byssal retractor muscle (ABRM) of Mytilus edulis, following step changes in load, were studied at various phases of active and catch contractions produced by acetylcholine. 2. The load-extension curves of the series elastic component (SEC) were found to be scaled down in proportion to the isometric tension immediately before step changes in load, but remain unchanged irrespective of whether the ABRM was in active or in catch contraction. 3. In hypertonic solutions the compliance of the SEC was reduced in the same manner as that of the SEC in frog skeletal muscle. 4. These results seem to favour the linkage hypothesis for the catch mechanism, though the SEC in the ABRM is suggested to be composed not only of the cross-linkages, but also of the compliance of the myofilaments.