The Threshold for Potassium-Induced Contractures of Frog Skeletal Muscle. Potentiation of Potassium-Induced Contractures by Preexposure to Subthreshold Potassium Concentrations

1972 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. C. Vos ◽  
G. B. Frank
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Potassium Concentration ◽  
Ringer Solution ◽  
Frog Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Contractile Apparatus ◽  
Tension Development ◽  
Eventual Loss ◽  
Active Processes ◽  
Muscle Potentiation ◽  
Small Bundle

A brief exposure (about 10–30 s) of a frog's toe muscle or a small bundle of fibers from the semi-tendinosus muscle to just subthreshold potassium concentrations potentiated contractures subsequently produced by exposing the muscles to a potassium concentration slightly above the threshold. The contractures thus potentiated had greater maximum tensions, and greater rates of tension development and relaxation than control contractures elicited by the same final potassium concentration. The resistance to stretch (R.T.S.) in the first few seconds of the potentiated contractures was about twice that of control contractures. Maximum potentiation occurred with preexposures of about 30 s; longer preexposures led to a decrease of potentiation and eventually to a depression of the contracture. The potentiation was not immediately abolished when the muscle was reexposed to Ringer solution but persisted for 2 min or longer (the 'washout effect'). It was concluded that exposing a muscle to low subcontracture threshold concentrations of potassium for a few seconds primes the intracellular contractile apparatus, probably by causing an increased sarcoplasmic concentration of Ca2+ ions, resulting in a potentiation of subsequently induced submaximal potassium contractures. The increase in metabolism (or 'Solandt effect') seen under these conditions is temporally related to the decline and eventual loss of the potentiation and is probably a reflection of active processes involved in reducing the sarcoplasmic concentration of Ca2+ ions.

The Effect of Lanthanum on Excitation–Contraction Coupling in Frog Skeletal Muscle

1974 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 1126-1135 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Parry ◽  
A. Kover ◽  
G. B. Frank
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Action Potential ◽  
Muscle Membrane ◽  
Frog Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Tension Development ◽  
Excitation Contraction Coupling ◽  
Contraction Coupling ◽  
Reduced Rate ◽  
Caffeine Contractures

Exposure of frog toe muscles to 1 mM La3+ results in a decrease in amplitude and rate of tension development of potassium contractures and twitches. At this concentration La3+ also inhibits the uptake of calcium, both in the resting condition and during stimulation. Caffeine contractures are unaffected even after a 5-min pre-exposure to La3+. The depolarization induced by various concentrations of K+ is reduced by about 10 mV as is the amplitude of the action potential. The rate of rise of the action potential is reduced by about 40% after 1 min in La3+ Ringer. Neither the decreased amplitude nor the reduced rate of depolarization is considered to be sufficient to explain the inhibition of tension development. It is suggested that La3+ partially uncouples excitation from contraction by preventing the release of a trigger-Ca2+ fraction from some site on the muscle membrane. This fraction normally plays a role in excitation–contraction coupling, although some tension may still be developed in the absence of a trigger-Ca2+ influx.

scholarly journals Simultaneous measurement of Ca2+ in muscle with Ca electrodes and aequorin. Diffusible cytoplasmic constituent reduces Ca(2+)-independent luminescence of aequorin.

1991 ◽  
Vol 98 (6) ◽  
pp. 1141-1160 ◽  
Author(s):  
L A Blatter ◽  
J R Blinks
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Simultaneous Measurement ◽  
Light Emission ◽  
Ringer Solution ◽  
Light Signal ◽  
Frog Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Stable Level ◽  
Total Absence ◽  
Normal Ringer

Estimates of cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) were made essentially simultaneously in the same intact frog skeletal muscle fibers with aequorin and with Ca-selective microelectrodes. In healthy fibers under truly resting conditions [Ca2+]i was too low to be measured reliably with either technique. The calibration curves for both indicators were essentially flat in this range of [Ca2+], and the aequorin light signal was uniformly below the level to be expected in the total absence of Ca2+. When [Ca2+]i had been raised to a stable level below the threshold for contracture by increasing [K+]o to 12.5 mM, [Ca2+]i was 38 nM according to aequorin and 59 nM according to the Ca-selective microelectrodes. These values are not significantly different. Our estimates of [Ca2+]i are lower than most others obtained with microelectrodes, probably because the presence of aequorin in the cells allowed us to detect damaging microelectrode impalements that otherwise we would have had no reason to reject. The observation that the light emission from aequorin-injected fibers in normal Ringer solution was below the level expected from the Ca(2+)-independent luminescence of aequorin in vitro was investigated further, with the conclusion that the myoplasm contains a diffusible macromolecule (between 10 and 30 kD) that interacts with aequorin to reduce light emission in the absence of Ca2+.

Effects of dantrolene and D2O on K+-stimulated respiration of skeletal muscle

1982 ◽  
Vol 243 (1) ◽  
pp. C87-C95 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Erlij ◽  
W. K. Shen ◽  
P. Reinach ◽  
H. Schoen
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Potassium Concentration ◽  
Extracellular Potassium ◽  
Frog Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Extracellular Potassium Concentration ◽  
Na Efflux ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Peak Increase ◽  
Stimulation Of

We have examined the effects of dantrolene and D2O on the K+-stimulated respiration in frog skeletal muscle. The threshold for K+ stimulation was around 10 mM extracellular potassium concentration ([K+]o). A further marked increase in respiration to levels about ten times the resting level was noted when [K+]o was between 15 and 20 mM. The increase was sustained for hours when [K+]o was less than 20 mM; however, with higher concentrations the stimulation consisted of an initial burst followed by a decline. Dantrolene shifted the relationship between [K+]o and peak increase in respiration toward higher [K+]o by about 10 mM; in addition it nearly completely blocked the sustained component of the increase. D2O, nearly abolished the K+-induced respiration. Neither agent shifted the relationship between [K+]o and membrane potential nor abolished the stimulation of respiration caused by caffeine. Dantrolene did not block the stimulation of Na+ efflux caused by 15 mM K+. The results with these agents are consistent with the proposal that K+-stimulated respiration is due to Ca2+ release into the cytoplasm. In addition, they provide evidence that the stimulated rate of Ca2+ release into the cytoplasm can remain at a persistently high level for hours provided [K+]o does not exceed 20 mM. We calculated that the level of this constant Ca2+ release is about 3.4 X 10(16) ions/(s.cm3).

scholarly journals Time necessary for tension development in frog skeletal muscle.

1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (supplement) ◽  
pp. S189
Author(s):  
H. Tanaka ◽  
T. Kobayashi ◽  
Y. Takezawa ◽  
Y. Sugimoto ◽  
K. Wakabayashi
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Frog Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Tension Development
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