Inorganic phosphate speeds loaded shortening in rat skinned cardiac myocytes

2004 ◽  
Vol 287 (2) ◽  
pp. C500-C507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron C. Hinken ◽  
Kerry S. McDonald

Force generation in striated muscle is coupled with inorganic phosphate (Pi) release from myosin, because force falls with increasing Pi concentration ([Pi]). However, it is unclear which steps in the cross-bridge cycle limit loaded shortening and power output. We examined the role of Pi in determining force, unloaded and loaded shortening, power output, and rate of force development in rat skinned cardiac myocytes to discern which step in the cross-bridge cycle limits loaded shortening. Myocytes ( n = 6) were attached between a force transducer and position motor, and contractile properties were measured over a range of loads during maximal Ca2+ activation. Addition of 5 mM Pi had no effect on maximal unloaded shortening velocity ( Vo) (control 1.83 ± 0.75, 5 mM added Pi 1.75 ± 0.58 muscle lengths/s; n = 6). Conversely, addition of 2.5, 5, and 10 mM Pi progressively decreased force but resulted in faster loaded shortening and greater power output (when normalized for the decrease in force) at all loads greater than ∼10% isometric force. Peak normalized power output increased 16% with 2.5 mM added Pi and further increased to a plateau of ∼35% with 5 and 10 mM added Pi. Interestingly, the rate constant of force redevelopment ( ktr) progressively increased from 0 to 10 mM added Pi, with ktr ∼360% greater at 10 mM than at 0 mM added Pi. Overall, these results suggest that the Pi release step in the cross-bridge cycle is rate limiting for determining shortening velocity and power output at intermediate and high relative loads in cardiac myocytes.

1990 ◽  
Vol 148 (1) ◽  
pp. 281-291
Author(s):  
H. IWAMOTO ◽  
A. MURAOKA ◽  
A. GOTO ◽  
H. SUGI

1. Fibres from adductor scutorum muscle of a barnacle Tetraclita squamosa were made to contract isometrically by electrical stimulation, and the change in the ability to shorten actively during the mechanical responses was examined by suddenly allowing the fibres to shorten under a very small load (<3 % of the force immediately before shortening) at various times after the onset of stimulation. 2. The shortening velocity (Vsl) was nearly constant during stimulation. After the cessation of stimulation, shortening velocity decreased steeply while isometric force decayed slowly, indicating that isometric force was maintained with reduced ability to shorten actively. 3. Similar results were obtained when the maximum rate of force redevelopment following a quick release was measured at various times during the mechanical response to electrical stimulation. 4. In these fibres, but not in fibres from frog skeletal muscle, a quick restretch following a quick release could restore the force to a level similar to that observed without a quick release. These results, together with those above, indicated a reduced cross-bridge cycling rate during the relaxation phase of mechanical responses of barnacle fibres to electrical stimulation. 5. During electrical stimulation, Vsl showed less dependence on [Ca2+]o than was shown by isometric force. 6. These results are discussed in connection with the mechanism of force maintenance with reduced cross-bridge cycling rate.


2006 ◽  
Vol 290 (2) ◽  
pp. H869-H877 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron C. Hinken ◽  
Kerry S. McDonald

During ischemia intracellular concentrations of Pi and H+ increase. Also, changes in myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform toward β-MHC have been reported after ischemia and infarction associated with coronary artery disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of myoplasmic changes of Pi and H+ on the loaded shortening velocity and power output of cardiac myocytes expressing either α- or β-MHC. Skinned cardiac myocyte preparations were obtained from adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (control or treated with 5- n-propyl-2-thiouracil to induce β-MHC) and mounted between a force transducer and servomotor system. Myocyte preparations were subjected to a series of isotonic force clamps to determine shortening velocity and power output during Ca2+ activations in each of the following solutions: 1) pCa 4.5 and pH 7.0; 2) pCa 4.5, pH 7.0, and 5 mM Pi; 3) pCa 4.5 and pH 6.6; and 4) pCa 4.5, pH 6.6, and 5 mM Pi. Added Pi and lowered pH each caused isometric force to decline to the same extent in α-MHC and β-MHC myocytes; however, β-MHC myocytes were more resistant to changes in absolute power output. For example, peak absolute power output fell 53% in α-MHC myocytes, whereas power fell only 38% in β-MHC myocytes in response to elevated Pi and lowered pH (i.e., solution 4). The reduced effect on power output was the result of a greater increase in loaded shortening velocity induced by Pi in β-MHC myocytes and an increase in loaded shortening velocity at pH 6.6 that occurred only in β-MHC myocytes. We conclude that the functional response to elevated Pi and lowered pH during ischemia is MHC isoform-dependent with β-MHC myocytes being more resistant to declines in power output.


1996 ◽  
Vol 270 (2) ◽  
pp. E203-E208
Author(s):  
A. L. Ruzycky ◽  
B. T. Ameredes

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.


1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (2) ◽  
pp. C676-C683 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Widrick ◽  
S. W. Trappe ◽  
D. L. Costill ◽  
R. H. Fitts

Gastrocnemius muscle fiber bundles were obtained by needle biopsy from five middle-aged sedentary men (SED group) and six age-matched endurance-trained master runners (RUN group). A single chemically permeabilized fiber segment was mounted between a force transducer and a position motor, subjected to a series of isotonic contractions at maximal Ca2+ activation (15 degrees C), and subsequently run on a 5% polyacrylamide gel to determine myosin heavy chain composition. The Hill equation was fit to the data obtained for each individual fiber (r2 > or = 0.98). For the SED group, fiber force-velocity parameters varied (P < 0.05) with fiber myosin heavy chain expression as follows: peak force, no differences: peak tension (force/fiber cross-sectional area), type IIx > type IIa > type I; maximal shortening velocity (Vmax, defined as y-intercept of force-velocity relationship), type IIx = type IIa > type I; a/Pzero (where a is a constant with dimensions of force and Pzero is peak isometric force), type IIx > type IIa > type I. Consequently, type IIx fibers produced twice as much peak power as type IIa fibers, whereas type IIa fibers produced about five times more peak power than type I fibers. RUN type I and IIa fibers were smaller in diameter and produced less peak force than SED type I and IIa fibers. The absolute peak power output of RUN type I and IIa fibers was 13 and 27% less, respectively, than peak power of similarly typed SED fibers. However, type I and IIa Vmax and a/Pzero were not different between the SED and RUN groups, and RUN type I and IIa power deficits disappeared after power was normalized for differences in fiber diameter. Thus the reduced absolute peak power output of the type I and IIa fibers from the master runners was a result of the smaller diameter of these fibers and a corresponding reduction in their peak isometric force production. This impairment in absolute peak power production at the single fiber level may be in part responsible for the reduced in vivo power output previously observed for endurance-trained athletes.


1997 ◽  
Vol 273 (5) ◽  
pp. H2428-H2435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Wannenburg ◽  
Paul M. L. Janssen ◽  
Dongsheng Fan ◽  
Pieter P. De Tombe

We tested the hypothesis that the Frank-Starling relationship is mediated by changes in the rate of cross-bridge detachment in cardiac muscle. We simultaneously measured isometric force development and the rate of ATP consumption at various levels of Ca2+ activation in skinned rat cardiac trabecular muscles at three sarcomere lengths (2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 μm). The maximum rate of ATP consumption was 1.5 nmol ⋅ s−1 ⋅ μl fiber vol−1, which represents an estimated adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) rate of ∼10 s−1 per myosin head at 24°C. The rate of ATP consumption was tightly and linearly coupled to the level of isometric force development, and changes in sarcomere length had no effect on the slope of the force-ATPase relationships. The average slope of the force-ATPase relationships was 15.5 pmol ⋅ mN−1 ⋅ mm−1. These results suggest that the mechanisms that underlie the Frank-Starling relationship in cardiac muscle do not involve changes in the kinetics of the apparent detachment step in the cross-bridge cycle.


Medicina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 249
Author(s):  
Hans Degens ◽  
David A. Jones

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.


1987 ◽  
Vol 89 (5) ◽  
pp. 771-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
D M Warshaw

The relationship between force and shortening velocity (F:V) in muscle is believed to reflect both the mechanics of the myosin cross-bridge and the kinetics of its interaction with actin. To date, the F:V for smooth muscle cells has been inferred from F:V data obtained in multicellular tissue preparations. Therefore, to determine F:V in an intact single smooth muscle cell, cells were isolated from the toad (Bufo marinus) stomach muscularis and attached to a force transducer and length displacement device. Cells were electrically stimulated at 20 degrees C and generated 143 mN/mm2 of active force per muscle cross-sectional area. At the peak of contraction, cells were subjected to sudden changes in force (dF = 0.10-0.90 Fmax) and then maintained at the new force level. The force change resulted in a length response in which the cell length (Lcell) rapidly decreased during the force step and then decreased monotonically with a time constant between 75 and 600 ms. The initial length change that coincided with the force step was analyzed and an active cellular compliance of 1.9% cell length was estimated. The maintained force and resultant shortening velocity (V) were fitted to the Hill hyperbola with constants a/Fmax of 0.268 and b of 0.163 Lcell/s. Vmax was also determined by a procedure in which the cell length was slackened and the time of unloaded shortening was recorded (slack test). From the slack test, Vmax was estimated as 0.583 Lcell/s, in agreement with the F:V data. The F:V data were analyzed within the framework of the Huxley model (Huxley. 1957. Progress in Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry. 7:255-318) for contraction and interpreted to indicate that in smooth muscle, as compared with fast striated muscle, there may exist a greater percentage of attached force-generating cross-bridges.


1990 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 581-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
D E Harris ◽  
D M Warshaw

In single smooth muscle cells, shortening velocity slows continuously during the course of an isotonic (fixed force) contraction (Warshaw, D.M. 1987. J. Gen. Physiol. 89:771-789). To distinguish among several possible explanations for this slowing, single smooth muscle cells were isolated from the gastric muscularis of the toad (Bufo marinus) and attached to an ultrasensitive force transducer and a length displacement device. Cells were stimulated electrically and produced maximum stress of 144 mN/mm2. Cell force was then reduced to and maintained at preset fractions of maximum, and cell shortening was allowed to occur. Cell stiffness, a measure of relative numbers of attached crossbridges, was measured during isotonic shortening by imposing 50-Hz sinusoidal force oscillations. Continuous slowing of shortening velocity was observed during isotonic shortening at all force levels. This slowing was not related to the time after the onset of stimulation or due to reduced isometric force generating capacity. Stiffness did not change significantly over the course of an isotonic shortening response, suggesting that the observed slowing was not the result of reduced numbers of cycling crossbridges. Furthermore, isotonic shortening velocity was better described as a function of the extent of shortening than as a function of the time after the onset of the release. Therefore, we propose that slowing during isotonic shortening in single isolated smooth muscle cells is the result of an internal load that opposes shortening and increases as cell length decreases.


2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (10) ◽  
pp. 857-864 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A Murphy ◽  
Christopher M Rembold

In contrast to striated muscle, both normalized force and shortening velocities are regulated functions of cross-bridge phosphorylation in smooth muscle. Physiologically this is manifested as relatively fast rates of contraction associated with transiently high levels of cross-bridge phosphorylation. In sustained contractions, Ca2+, cross-bridge phosphorylation, and ATP consumption rates fall, a phenomenon termed "latch". This review focuses on the Hai and Murphy (1988a) model that predicted the highly non-linear dependence of force on phosphorylation and a directly proportional dependence of shortening velocity on phosphorylation. This model hypothesized that (i) cross-bridge phosphorylation was obligatory for cross-bridge attachment, but also that (ii) dephosphorylation of an attached cross-bridge reduced its detachment rate. The resulting variety of cross-bridge cycles as predicted by the model could explain the observed dependencies of force and velocity on cross-bridge phosphorylation. New evidence supports modifications for more general applicability. First, myosin light chain phosphatase activity is regulated. Activation of myosin phosphatase is best demonstrated with inhibitory regulatory mechanisms acting via nitric oxide. The second modification of the model incorporates cooperativity in cross-bridge attachment to predict improved data on the dependence of force on phosphorylation. The molecular basis for cooperativity is unknown, but may involve thin filament proteins absent in striated muscle.Key words: chemo-mechanical transduction, activation-contraction coupling, cross-bridge, myosin light chain kinase, myosin light chain phosphatase, phosphorylation, cooperativity.


Author(s):  
Alf Månsson

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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