Effects of caffeine on crayfish muscle fibers. II. Refractoriness and factors influencing recovery (repriming) of contractile responses

Fall in intracellular pH and increase in resting tension induced by a mitochondrial uncoupling agent in crayfish muscle

1. The influence of the mitochondrial uncoupling agent carbonylcyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) upon resting tension and intracellular pH (pHi) was studied in the dactyl opener muscle of the crayfish. pHi was measured with liquid sensor H+-selective microelectrodes. 2. CCCP (10(-6)-10(-5) mol l-1) induced a reversible, tonic contracture which was associated with a depolarization of the membrane potential. Both effects were augmented by a fall and inhibited by a rise in extracellular pH. The action of CCCP on tension was not mimicked by cyanide + oligomycin or by cyanide + dicyclohexylcarbodiimide nor was it inhibited by pre-exposure to these agents. 3. CCCP produced an initial alkalosis of less than 0.1 units and thereafter a fall in pHi of 0.4-0.6 units during which the sarcolemmal H+ driving force decreased from 61 to 15 mV. The apparent influx of H+ due to CCCP had a maximum of 2.7 mequiv l-1 min-1. The CCCP-induced acidosis was unaffected by iodacetate (0.5 mmol l-1) but it was inhibited by a depolarization of the membrane potential. 4. The contraction caused by CCCP was not due to the simultaneous fall in pHi since an intracellular acidosis of equal magnitude, produced by propionate (50 mmol l-1), did not lead to force generation. In addition, propionate had an inhibitory effect on the depolarization and contracture caused by CCCP. 5. Both the depolarization and the contracture caused by CCCP were inhibited by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The contracture was blocked by Cd2+, Mn2+ and by a nominally Ca2+ -free medium but not by a pre-exposure to caffeine (20 mmol l-1). Cd2+ and Mn2+ had no influence on the fall of pHi caused by CCCP. 6. It is concluded that CCCP induces a sarcolemmal H+ conductance which leads to a fall in pHi and to a depolarization of the membrane potential. This depolarization activates sarcolemmal, voltage-dependent calcium channels and thereby induces an increase in tension. The initial alkalosis produced by CCCP may be due to a transient uptake of H+ by mitochondria.

Octopamine action on the contractile system of crustacean skeletal muscle

1. In the opener muscle of walking legs of crayfish (Astacus leptodactylus) octopamine (OA) greatly enhances the contractions resulting from brief applications of L-glutamate or of elevated K-concentrations. Synephrine is as effective as OA. 2. In the case of potentiation of responses to high-K applications a presynaptic component of the OA action was excluded by first desensitising the muscle fibres to the action of the natural transmitter, using a high concentration (1 mM) of glutamate. 3. The Ca-antagonists Co, Ni and Mn (1 mM) reduced the effects of glutamate and of elevated K to about one-half. In preparations treated with OA, the same Ca-antagonists also depressed the potentiated contractural responses to glutamate and to elevated K, again to about one-half. 4. OA also enhanced contractions resulting from the application of caffeine. 5. With 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) application, the same postsynaptic effects were obtained as described for OA, except that the 5-HT actions were much weaker. 6. With OA, maximal effects were obtained with concentrations of 5 x 10(-6)-10(-5) M; maximally effective concentrations of 5-HT were around 10(-5) M. 7. The lowest effective concentrations of OA were around 10(-8) M; those of 5-HT were around 10(-7) M. 8. In the same preparation, 5-HT is far more effective in enhancing transmitter release (presynaptic action) than OA, the lowest effective concentration being around 10(-11) M while no presynaptic effects of OA were seen at concentrations below 10(-8) M, in some cases even below 10(-5) M.

Caffeine inhibition of calcium accumulation by the sarcoplasmic reticulum in mammalian skinned fibers

Oxalate-supported Ca accumulation by the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of chemically skinned mammalian skeletal muscle fibers is activated by MgATP and Ca2+ and partially inhibited by caffeine. Inhibition by caffeine is greatest when Ca2+ exceeds 0.3 to 0.4 microM, when free ATP exceeds 0.8 to 1 mM, and when the inhibitor is present from the beginning of the loading period rather than when it is added after Ca oxalate has already begun to precipitate within the SR. Under the most favorable combination of these conditions, this effect of caffeine is maximal at 2.5 to 5 mM and is half-maximal at approximately 0.5 mM. For a given concentration of caffeine, inhibition decreases to one-half of its maximum value when free ATP is reduced to 0.2 to 0.3 mM. Varying free Mg2+ (0.1 to 2 mM) or MgATP (0.03 to 10 mM) has no effect on inhibition. Average residual uptake rates in the presence of 5 mM caffeine at pCa 6.4 range from 32 to 70% of the control rates in fibers from different animals. The extent of inhibition in whole-muscle homogenates is similar to that observed in skinned fibers, but further purification of SR membranes by differential centrifugation reduces their ability to respond to caffeine. In skinned fibers, caffeine does not alter the Ca2+ concentration dependence of Ca uptake (K0.5, 0.5 to 0.8 microM; Hill n, 1.5 to 2.1). Reductions in rate due to caffeine are accompanied by proportional reductions in maximum capacity of the fibers, and this configuration can be mimicked by treating fibers with the ionophore A23187. Caffeine induces a sustained release of Ca from fibers loaded with Ca oxalate. However, caffeine-induced Ca release is transient when fibers are loaded without oxalate. The effects of caffeine on rate and capacity of Ca uptake as well as the sustained and transient effects on uptake and release observed under different conditions can be accounted for by a single mode of action of caffeine: it increases Ca permeability in a limited population of SR membranes, and these membranes coexist with a population of caffeine-insensitive membranes within the same fiber.

Caffeine contractures in denervated frog muscle

Caffeine contracture tension, effect of caffeine on the resting membrane potential, and caffeine influx in normal and denervated frog sartorius muscle have been investigated. Peak caffeine contracture tension is increased after denervation at all caffeine concentrations. The percentage increases in tension are highest for lower caffeine concentrations. The caffeine concentration required for half maximum tension is decreased from about 3.6 mM in control muscles to 2.6 mM in denervated muscles. Caffeine at 3.5 mM produces a depolarization of about 6 mV in control muscles and 16mV in denervated muscles. The large contracture tensions observed in denervated muscles are not due to the greater depolarization produced by the drug in denervated muscles since innervated muscles depolarized to the same level by external K+ do not enhance caffeine contracture tension. Both control and denervated muscles are highly permeable to caffeine. The increases in sarcoplasmic reticulum development ( Moscatello et al. 1965) and calcium content ( Picken and Kirby 1976) promoted by denervation may explain the larger tension elicited by caffeine in denervated muscles.

Permeability changes induced by L-glutamate at the crayfish neuromuscular junction

Two different methods are described which allow the reversal potential (Er) for the channels opened by L-glutamate at the voltage-clamped, crayfish neuromuscular junction to be measured accurately. In both cases the value of Er was found to be about +6 mV. Reversal potentials were also measured in solutions where Na+ was replaced by K+, Ca2+, or Mg2+; or in which Cl- was replaced by isethionate. In solutions where Na+ was partially replaced by K+, the measured reversal potentials were compared to theoretical values predicted by both the constant-field and equivalent-circuit equations. The experimental values were more accurately described by the constant-field equation. Permeability ratios (PX/PNa) for K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Cl- were calculated using the constant-field equation. K+ and Na+ were equally permeant while Ca2+ and Mg2+ were about half as permeant as the monovalent cations. Cl- was impermeant. The results of these experiments indicate that the L-glutamate activated channel is non-selective for cations. Furthermore, the value of the permeability ratios for the physiological cations tested are very similar to those obtained for the acetylcholine activated channel in vertebrate skeletal muscle.

Action of caffeine in excitation-contraction coupling of frog skeletal muscle fibres

1. Frog sartorius muscle bathed in 1 mM-caffeine generates brief asynchronous contraction of individual sarcomeres, 'sarcomeric oscillations', and propagated contractile waves. 2. Analysis of cinematographic records shows that during sarcomeric oscillations the sarcomere length decreases and the distribution of sarcomere lengths is wider than in controls. 3. Caffeine can produce sarcomeric oscillations in K depolarized muscle fibres and, to a limited extent, in glycerol-treated muscle fibres. 4. Treatment of muscle with dantrolene sodium blocks production of sarcomeric oscillations by caffeine. 5. In caffeine-treated muscle fibres, electrically produced depolarization could initiate or increase the frequency of sarcomeric oscillations, and electrical hyperpolarization diminishes the frequency or stops sarcomeric oscillations. 6. Caffeine solution bathing a muscle undergoing sarcomeric oscillations (the perfusate), when applied to a fresh muscle, initiates sarcomeric oscillations with a relatively short latency. 7. An U.V.-absorbance peak at 245 nm develops in the caffeine solution bathing a muscle undergoing sarcomeric oscillations. 8. It was found that a contraction-regulating substance (oscillogen) is released from a muscle undergoing sarcomeric oscillations. From results of selective dialysis and gel permeation chromatography, the molecular weight of the oscillogen is estimated to be between 700-1000 daltons. 9. It is proposed that the oscillogen is a normally occurring substance which functions in excitation-contraction coupling at the T-tubule terminal cistern junction in skeletal muscle.

Characterization of the methylxanthine-induced propagated wave phenomenon in striated muscle

Escalation is a propagated wave phenomenon readily observable in chick skeletal muscle fibers growing in culture. It occurs in fibers bathed in methylxanthines, halothane, or quinine, at concentrations associated with twitch potentiation. From the results of a variety of experiments, an explanation of the phenomenon is proposed. Cation requirements suggest that a wave may be initiated in conjunction with a spontaneous calcium influx or calcium spike; and drug concentration, temperature, and extracellular potassium effects support the theory that wave propagation occurs by calcium-induced calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The optical effect may then reflect osmotic changes associated with the transient calcium release. Escalation is not restricted to cultured muscle, nor to chick. At appropriate temperatures and in the presence of methylxanthines, escalation has been observed in chick, frog, and rat skeletal muscle. This suggests that it is a subthreshold event, related to contraction, capable of providing further insight into excitation-contraction coupling. The superior visibility conditions and accessibility to experimental manipulation make cultured chick skeletal muscle fibers suitable subjects for such study.

Ultrastructure and mechanical activity expressed by striated muscle in culture

Newly devised assay procedures for quantitating the mechanical capabilities of striated muscle fibers grown in cell culture have permitted the correlation of cytological features with the ability to respond mechanically to electrical and chemical stimuli during development. By developmental timing and by physiological characteristics, three distinct mechanical activities can be distinguished: : TWITCH, contracture and wave propagation (escalation). Parallel electron microscopy studies suggest that contracture and escalation require significantly greater internal membrane development than twitch. The assay procedures have revealed that fibers developed in culture from genetically dystrophic chick muscle cells display a heightened electrical threshold for a twich response, but are otherwise similar to normal fibers. Cultured chick fibers, whether of leg or breast origin, exhibit similar ultrastructural and mechanical properties; yet these are different from those of in vivo adult muscle and may represent the avian striated muscle archetype expressed in the absence of innervation. Primary or cell line cultures of rat muscle produce far fewer mechanically active fibers than do avian cell cultures. The influence of culture conditions and cell source, whether avian or mammalian, on the extent of differentiation expressed in culture is so great that our understanding of studies on cultured muscle fibers would benefit from some characterization of both morphological and contractile properties of the fibers being used.

Dependence of energy transduction in intact skeletal muscles on the time in tension

In intact single crayfish muscle fibers and frog semitendinosus muscles we have studied the tension response to sinusoidal length changes in the frequency range of 0.25-133 Hz. By this method we have resolved three processes in the interaction of myosin cross-bridges with actin in fully activated preparations. They are (A) a low-frequency phase advance, (B) a middle-frequency delay, and (C) a high-frequency advance. These processes can be used as probes to study the chemomechanical coupling of contractility. Process (B) represents net power output from the muscle preparation (oscillatory work). With maximal K or caffeine activation of crayfish muscle at 20 degrees C, it decreases to zero in the initial 45 s of maintained tension. Similar results were obtained with frog semitendinosus whole muscles. We interpret this decrease of (B) with time as a gradual decrease in actomyosin ATP-hydrolysis rate.

Recovery of ultrastructural changes accompanying caffeine contractures in isolated muscle fibres of the crayfish

Reversible caffeine contractures in isolated muscle fibres of the crayfish (Astacus fluviatilis; m. extensor carpopoditi) are accompanied by swelling of the diadic cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and by constriction of the T-system tubules. The membranes of the tubules may coalesce and form pentalaminar structures. These changes in the diadic region can be found already in fibres fixed 10 s after the sudden introduction of 4 mM or 6 mM caffeine solution. The changes are completely reversible. The recovery period after a 6 mM caffeine contracture lasts 20 min. The restitution of ultrastructural changes induced by caffeine correlates well with the recovery of responsiveness to a repeated application of caffeine. The pretreatment of fibres with procaine prevents both the generation of caffeine contractures and the occurrence of changes in the ultrastructure. No changes or a very slight enlargement of diadic cisternae were found during potassium contractures of comparable size and duration to caffeine contractures. The effect of procaine as well as the restitution of ultrastructural changes after the recovery of responsiveness to caffeine support the view that the cisternal swelling is a direct consequence of the calcium releasing action of caffeine. Isolated swelling of diadic cisternae and the absence of any changes in the remaining parts of the sarcoplasmic reticulum during reversible caffeine contractures could point to the existence of functional differentiation of the respective parts of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The absence of ultrastructural changes during potassium contractures might indicate a different source of the activating calcium for contraction and/or a different mechanism of its release.

Sites of action of D2O in intact and skinned crayfish muscle fibers

The effect on tension development of replacing 90% of the H2O of the bathing saline with D2O was studied on intact single fibers, and on skinned fibers before and after the latter were treated so as to eliminate Ca-accumulation by the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Excitation-contraction coupling (ECC) of intact fibers is not abolished, but is depressed by D2O so that higher depolarizations are required to elicit a given tension. The reduction in tension at a given level of depolarization is not due to inhibition of the contractile system. The latter showed an enhanced Ca sensitivity; that is, skinned fibers respond to Ca concentrations that are 1-2 orders of magnitude smaller in D2O than in H2O saline. When bathed in D2O saline, intact fibers or skinned fibers with functional SR can still accumulate and release Ca in sufficient quantities to allow repeated induction of maximum tensions. Relaxation is slowed in all three types of preparation, perhaps because of an increased affinity of troponin to Ca in D2O salines.

Calcium binding and tension development in detergent-treated muscle fibers

The nonionic detergent Brij 58 eliminates irreversibly the capability of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of skinned crayfish muscle fibers to sequester Ca and to release it under appropriate stimulation. In contrast to deoxycholate (DOC) which causes an irreversible diminution of tension as well, Brij 58 does not affect the contractile proteins. Comparison of the time-course of tension development before and after Brij treatment demonstrates that Ca is accessible to the contractile proteins more rapidly after the SR is destroyed but, nevertheless, much more slowly than is predicted for free diffusion of Ca in the myoplasm. Slowing apparently results because of the presence of ca 1 mmol/kg fiber of myoplasmic Ca-binding sites that remain after Ca uptake of the SR is eliminated. A theoretical model is presented which allows for the effects of binding sites and of an unstirred layer in the vicinity of the fiber on Ca diffusion into the myoplasm.

Effects of manganese on the electrical and mechanical properties of frog skeletal muscle fibres

1. The effects of Mn on the electrical and mechanical properties of frog muscle fibres have been studied.2. In normal saline 10 or 20 mM-Mn hyperpolarized the fibres and had no effect on the membrane resistance. In isotonic K(2)SO(4) saline, Mn increased the membrane resistance indicating that this agent reduced the conductance to K.3. The action potential is prolonged by Mn while the overshoot amplitude is unaffected. The threshold of the action potential is shifted to more positive values of membrane potential.4. The isometric twitch is reduced by 45% in 10 mM-Mn; this effect is observed within 8 sec of the application.5. Mn (10 mM) reduced K contractures induced by 40 or 75 mM-K (constant [K].[Cl] product) and shifted to the right in a parallel manner the curve tension vs. log K concentration. The calculated mechanical threshold for K contractures was shifted from -48 to -33 mV.6. Caffeine contractures (3-4 mM) and supramaximal K contractures (190 mM-K) were unaffected by 10 mM indicating that contractile proteins and the ability of the sarcoplasmic reticulum to release Ca are not impaired.7. It is concluded that Mn is mainly affecting the excitation-contraction coupling by altering the mechanical threshold. Since Mn reduces the permeability to Ca in several excitable membranes, it is suggested that the mechanical threshold depends on the entry of Ca to the muscle.

The myofilament lattice: studies on isolated fibers. 3. The effect of myofilament spacing upon tension

The effect of ionic strength on the generation of tension and upon the interfilament spacing in living intact and skinned single striated muscle fibers from the walking leg of crayfish (Orconectes) were determined by isometric contraction studies correlated with low-angle X-ray diffraction. Sarcomere lengths were determined by light diffraction. Tensions were induced in intact fibers by caffeine in the bathing medium and by ionophoretic microinjection of calcium. Tensions were induced in skinned fibers by a buffered calcium-EGTA solution. The interfilament spacing of intact and skinned fibers over the range of ionic strengths investigated were determined by X-ray diffraction and correlated with the physiological data. It is demonstrated that the ionic strength affects the tension-generating capacity of the muscle as it affects the chemo-mechanical transform of excitation-contraction coupling. It is further demonstrated that interfilament spacing changes encountered during shortening and with variation in the osmotic strength have no effect upon the tension-generating capacity of muscle.

Membrane calcium activation in excitation-contraction coupling

Depolarization thresholds for eliciting tension and Ca electrogenesis have been compared in isolated crayfish muscle fibers. Just-detectable tensions and Ca spikes induced after treatment with procaine were elicited with intracellularly applied depolarizing currents of fixed duration. Both thresholds were found to increase in a similar manner in fibers exposed to increased concentrations of Ca in the bathing solution or addition of other divalent cations (Mg, Mn, Ni). However, antagonistic effects between divalent cations were also demonstrated. Substitution of increasing amounts of NaSCN for NaCl in the standard saline produced a progressive decrease in both thresholds. The correlation in the change in thresholds for the two processes supports the hypothesis that a change in membrane Ca conductance is an integral step in excitation-contraction coupling.

The interaction between caffeine and calcium in the desensitization of muscle postjunctional membrane receptors

The interaction between caffeine and calcium on the rate of desensitization of muscle postjunctional membrane (PJM) receptors during the sustained application of 0.27 mM carbamylcholine (CARB) has been studied in vitro on the sartorius muscle of the frog. The rate of PJM repolarization with CARB added to the solution bathing the muscle or the recovery of the effective transmembrane resistance (EMR) during the microperfusion of CARB directly onto the end-plate region of individual fibers was used as an index of the rate of desensitization. Caffeine (1.5 mM) increased the rate of PJM repolarization with bulk application of CARB in a 1.8 or 10 mM calcium Ringer solution but had no effect on PJM repolarization in a calcium-deficient, 4 mM magnesium Ringer solution. For EMR measurements the preparation was rendered mechanically quiescent by repeated challenges with isotonic KCl during an exposure of several hours to a calcium-free, 4 mM magnesium-1 mM EGTA Ringer solution. In these fibers, the microperfusion of 0.27 mM CARB together with 1.8 mM calcium plus 1.5 mM caffeine significantly increased the rate of EMR recovery above that observed in the absence of caffeine. Raising the calcium concentration to 10 mM had a similar effect; however, no additional increase was noted by the inclusion of 1.5 mM caffeine. It is suggested that the major role of caffeine in PJM desensitization is to increase the calcium permeability of the surface membrane. The transmembrane movement of calcium and the consequent intracellular accumulation of calcium is seen as a critical factor in controlling the rate of PJM desensitization.

Influence of caffeine and other methylxanthines on mechanical properties of isolated mammalian heart muscle. Evidence for a dual mechanism of action

Caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine have similar effects on the contractions of kitten atrial and papillary muscle preparations in vitro. In concentrations between 2 and 20 mM they both intensify and prolong the active state, as indicated by isometric and delayed-release isotonic contractions; contracture is not normally produced. Instantaneous force-velocity curves are shifted approximately symmetrically by caffeine; force-velocity curves derived from simple afterloaded contractions are misleading because of the great prolongation of activity. After the addition of caffeine the onset of the increased degree of activation is more rapid than that of the prolongation of activity; procaine antagonizes the prolongation of activity but not the intensification. In the presence of the methylxanthines, the duration of contraction is no longer abbreviated by isoproterenol, though it is still readily influenced by changes in frequency. The prolongation of activity by Sr 2^plus; differs in significant respects from that induced by methylxanthines. The results suggest that the methylxanthines exert two effects on excitation-contraction coupling. One of these is presumed to be the inhibition of calcium sequestration by the sarcoplasmic reticulum; the other may be an effect on the cell membrane that leads to increased calcium entry. Most of the features of the altered mechanical response can be explained on this basis if it is assumed that intracellular calcium stores available for release are depleted as a result of the process that impairs calcium sequestration.