An energetic model of muscle contraction

Initial energy utilization in the twitch is visualized as the result of the activity of two distinct processes. The first is the calcium-pumping activity of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, which has a constant energy requirement under normal conditions. The second is the chemomechanical transduction process consisting of a variable number of quantal contractile events, each with a fixed enthalpy equal to the molecular enthalpy of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis in vivo. This enthalpy appears either as heat or as contractile element work. Total enthalpy varies according to the number of quantal contractile events that occur in the twitch cycle. The basis of the variation is suggested to be velocity-dependent activity of the actomyosin ATPase, allowing more quantal events to occur in a contraction cycle when shortening occurs. The classical designation "activation heat" is held to be appropriate for the first process. The partition of the enthalpy of the second process that is currently in vogue is held to be misleading and a new formulation is suggested in which the properties of the quantal contractile event are reflected in general terms. The formulation of the proposed transduction model represents a conceptual return to the viscoelastic theory, but at a quantal level. The model can explain the results of the preceding paper and is adaptable to different muscles without having to postulate fundamental differences in energy utilization.

The influence of hydrogen ion concentration on calcium binding and release by skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum

Calcium release and binding produced by alterations in pH were investigated in isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) from skeletal muscle. When the pH was abruptly increased from 6.46 to 7.82, after calcium loading for 30 sec, 80-90 nanomoles (nmole) of calcium/mg protein were released. When the pH was abruptly decreased from 7.56 to 6.46, after calcium loading for 30 sec, 25-30 nmole of calcium/mg protein were rebound. The calcium release process was shown to be a function of pH change: 57 nmole of calcium were released per 1 pH unit change per mg protein. The amount of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bound to the SR was not altered by the pH changes. The release phenomenon was not due to alteration of ATP concentration by the increased pH. Native actomyosin was combined with SR in order to study the effectiveness of calcium release from the SR by pH change in inducing super-precipitation of actomyosin. It was found that SR, in an amount high enough to inhibit superprecipitation at pH 6.5, did not prevent the process when the pH was suddenly increased to 7.3, indicating that the affinity of SR for calcium depends specifically on pH. These data suggest the possible participation of hydrogen ion concentration in excitation-contraction coupling.

Ultrastructure and contractures of the pigeon iris striated muscle

1. The ultrastructure of adult pigeon iris muscle fibres has been described with emphasis on the distribution of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Contractures due to superfusion with solutions of different [K(+)] (3-150 mM) and acetylcholine (ACh) and their modification by alteration of external [Ca(2+)] and [Mg(2+)] were studied in isolated pigeon iris.2. The arrangement of the contractile myofilaments was like that of vertebrate skeletal fibres. The SR is well developed in the I-band and sparse at the A-band level. Tubular elements (T-system) which form triads with the SR were seen at all levels of the sarcomere though usually adjacent to the A-I junction.3. K(+) contractures developed monotonically to a steady level which was maintained for the duration of the high [K(+)] superfusion. The response to a standard [K(+)] stepwise change was not altered by conditioning the preparation with various [K(+)].4. Decreasing external [Ca(2+)] from 20 mM to Ca(2+)-free (i.e. no Ca(2+) added), enhanced iris contractures at all [K(+)] and in ACh enriched solutions. The K(+) response was abolished when the iris was superfused with Ca(2+) free solution plus EDTA (2 mM) for 45 min. Increasing [Mg(2+)] had little or no effect on iris contracture.5. Reducing external [Ca(2+)] from 3 to 0.3 mM caused a reduction of 3-7 mV in resting membrane potential and an increase from 3 to 10 mM-Ca(2+) caused 3 to 7 mV membrane hyperpolarization. Muscle fibre input resistance was not affected.6. It is concluded that in the pigeon iris, Ca(2+) required for contractile activation is obtained from internal stores, that membrane potential determines the degree of contractile activation and that the maintenance of the contracture is dependent on the failure of the Ca(2+) releasing mechanism to inactive. In addition, it is speculated that because the iris muscle has only sparse SR at the A-band level of the sarcomere, there may be slow Ca(2+) reaccumulation.

Strontium accumulation by sarcoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria in vascular smooth muscle

Electron-opaque deposits of strontium were observed in the sarcoplasmic reticulum and in mitochondria of spontaneously contracting vascular smooth muscles that had been incubated in a strontium-containing solution prior to fixation. The deposits were present in those elements of the sarcoplasmic reticulum that are in close contact with the surface membrane and also in more centrally located portions. In vascular smooth muscle that does not contract spontaneously, similar deposits of strontium were only seen if the muscle was depolarized during or glycerinated before exposure to the strontium-containing solution. Strontium was also deposited in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of the endothelium. It is suggested that translocation of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum that is in close contact with the surface membrane, and now shown to accumulate divalent cations, is responsible for the action potential-triggered contractions of rabbit and guinea pig mesenteric veins. Strontium may also be a suitable marker for identifying sites that accumulate calcium in other types of cells in which translocation of calcium plays a major regulatory function.

Isolation of a calcium-sequestering protein from sarcoplasmic reticulum

An acidic protein has been extracted from sarcoplasmic reticulum with KCl and deoxycholate. The protein, which remains soluble after extraction, has been highly purified by fractionation on DEAE-cellulose, Sephadex, and hydroxylaptite. It has a molecular weight of 44,000 and contains 392 amino acid residues per molecule, of which 146 are either glutamic or aspartic acid. No phosphorus, sialic acid, or lipid has been detected in the preparation. The protein has been shown to bind up to 970 nmol of Ca(++) per mg (43 mol/mol) at pH 7.5, with an apparent dissociation constant of 4 x 10(-5) M. Preliminary data indicate that the protein is unique to sarcoplasmic reticulum and that it is hydrophobically bonded on the interior of these vesicles. The protein is believed to play a role in sequestering calcium within sarcoplasmic reticulum. The name Calsequestrin is suggested for the protein.