Crossbridge properties during force enhancement by slow stretching in single intact frog muscle fibres

Eccentric muscle contractions: from single muscle fibre to whole muscle mechanics

Eccentric muscle loading encompasses several unique features compared to other types of contractions. These features include increased force, work, and performance at decreased oxygen consumption, reduced metabolic cost, improved energy efficiency, as well as decreased muscle activity. This review summarises explanatory approaches to long-standing questions in terms of muscular contraction dynamics and molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying eccentric muscle loading. Moreover, this article intends to underscore the functional link between sarcomeric components, emphasising the fundamental role of titin in skeletal muscle. The giant filament titin reveals versatile functions ranging from sarcomere organisation and maintenance, providing passive tension and elasticity, and operates as a mechanosensory and signalling platform. Structurally, titin consists of a viscoelastic spring segment that allows activation-dependent coupling to actin. This titin-actin interaction can explain linear force increases in active lengthening experiments in biological systems. A three-filament model of skeletal muscle force production (mediated by titin) is supposed to overcome significant deviations between experimental observations and predictions by the classic sliding-filament and cross-bridge theories. Taken together, this review intends to contribute to a more detailed understanding of overall muscle behaviour and force generation-from a microscopic sarcomere level to a macroscopic multi-joint muscle level-impacting muscle modelling, the understanding of muscle function, and disease.

The load dependence and the force-velocity relation in intact myosin filaments from skeletal and smooth muscles

In the present study we evaluated the load dependence of force produced by isolated muscle myosin filaments interacting with fluorescently labeled actin filaments, using for the first time whole native myosin filaments. We used a newly developed approach that allowed the use of physiological levels of ATP. Single filaments composed of either skeletal or smooth muscle myosin and single filaments of actin were attached between pairs of nano-fabricated cantilevers of known stiffness. The filaments were brought into contact to produce force, which caused sliding of the actin filaments over the myosin filaments. We applied load to the system by either pushing or pulling the filaments during interactions and observed that increasing the load increased the force produced by myosin and decreasing the load decreased the force. We also performed additional experiments in which we clamped the filaments at predetermined levels of force, which caused the filaments to slide to adjust the different loads, allowing us to measure the velocity of length changes to construct a force-velocity relation. Force values were in the range observed previously with myosin filaments and molecules. The force-velocity curves for skeletal and smooth muscle myosins resembled the relations observed for muscle fibers. The technique can be used to investigate many issues of interest and debate in the field of muscle biophysics.

A myosin-based mechanism for stretch activation and its possible role revealed by varying phosphate concentration in fast and slow mouse skeletal muscle fibers

Stretch activation (SA) is a delayed increase in force following a rapid muscle length increase. SA is best known for its role in asynchronous insect flight muscle, where it has replaced calcium's typical role of modulating muscle force levels during a contraction cycle. SA also occurs in mammalian skeletal muscle but has previously been thought to be too low in magnitude, relative to calcium-activated (CA) force, to be a significant contributor to force generation during locomotion. To test this supposition, we compared SA and CA force at different P_i concentrations (0-16 mM) in skinned mouse soleus (slow-twitch) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL; fast-twitch) muscle fibers. CA isometric force decreased similarly in both muscles with increasing P_i, as expected. SA force decreased with P_i in EDL (40%), leaving the SA to CA force ratio relatively constant across P_i concentrations (17-25%). In contrast, SA force increased in soleus (42%), causing a quadrupling of the SA to CA force ratio, from 11% at 0 mM P_i to 43% at 16 mM P_i, showing that SA is a significant force modulator in slow-twitch mammalian fibers. This modulation would be most prominent during prolonged muscle use, which increases P_i concentration and impairs calcium cycling. Based upon our previous Drosophila myosin isoform studies and this work, we propose that in slow-twitch fibers a rapid stretch in the presence of P_i reverses myosin's power stroke, enabling quick rebinding to actin and enhanced force production, while in fast-twitch fibers, stretch and P_i cause myosin to detach from actin.

Do Actomyosin Single-Molecule Mechanics Data Predict Mechanics of Contracting Muscle?

In muscle, but not in single-molecule mechanics studies, actin, myosin and accessory proteins are incorporated into a highly ordered myofilament lattice. In view of this difference we compare results from single-molecule studies and muscle mechanics and analyze to what degree data from the two types of studies agree with each other. There is reasonable correspondence in estimates of the cross-bridge power-stroke distance (7–13 nm), cross-bridge stiffness (~2 pN/nm) and average isometric force per cross-bridge (6–9 pN). Furthermore, models defined on the basis of single-molecule mechanics and solution biochemistry give good fits to experimental data from muscle. This suggests that the ordered myofilament lattice, accessory proteins and emergent effects of the sarcomere organization have only minor modulatory roles. However, such factors may be of greater importance under e.g., disease conditions. We also identify areas where single-molecule and muscle data are conflicting: (1) whether force generation is an Eyring or Kramers process with just one major power-stroke or several sub-strokes; (2) whether the myofilaments and the cross-bridges have Hookean or non-linear elasticity; (3) if individual myosin heads slip between actin sites under certain conditions, e.g., in lengthening; or (4) if the two heads of myosin cooperate.

The active force-length relationship is invisible during extensive eccentric contractions in skinned skeletal muscle fibres

In contrast to experimentally observed progressive forces in eccentric contractions, cross-bridge and sliding-filament theories of muscle contraction predict that varying myofilament overlap will lead to increases and decreases in active force during eccentric contractions. Non-cross-bridge contributions potentially explain the progressive total forces. However, it is not clear whether underlying abrupt changes in the slope of the nonlinear force-length relationship are visible in long isokinetic stretches, and in which proportion cross-bridges and non-cross-bridges contribute to muscle force. Here, we show that maximally activated single skinned rat muscle fibres behave (almost across the entire working range) like linear springs. The force slope is about three times the maximum isometric force per optimal length. Cross-bridge and non-cross-bridge contributions to the muscle force were investigated using an actomyosin inhibitor. The experiments revealed a nonlinear progressive contribution of non-cross-bridge forces and suggest a nonlinear cross-bridge contribution similar to the active force-length relationship (though with increased optimal length and maximum isometric force). The linear muscle behaviour might significantly reduce the control effort. Moreover, the observed slight increase in slope with initial length is in accordance with current models attributing the non-cross-bridge force to titin.

Sarcomere mechanics in striated muscles: from molecules to sarcomeres to cells

Muscle contraction is commonly associated with the cross-bridge and sliding filament theories, which have received strong support from experiments conducted over the years in different laboratories. However, there are studies that cannot be readily explained by the theories, showing 1) a plateau of the force-length relation extended beyond optimal filament overlap, and forces produced at long sarcomere lengths that are higher than those predicted by the sliding filament theory; 2) passive forces at long sarcomere lengths that can be modulated by activation and Ca²⁺, which changes the force-length relation; and 3) an unexplained high force produced during and after stretch of activated muscle fibers. Some of these studies even propose "new theories of contraction." While some of these observations deserve evaluation, many of these studies present data that lack a rigorous control and experiments that cannot be repeated in other laboratories. This article reviews these issues, looking into studies that have used intact and permeabilized fibers, myofibrils, isolated sarcomeres, and half-sarcomeres. A common mechanism associated with sarcomere and half-sarcomere length nonuniformities and a Ca²⁺-induced increase in the stiffness of titin is proposed to explain observations that derive from these studies.

MgADP activation contributes to force enhancement during fast stretch of isolated skeletal myofibrils

BACKGROUND

When an activated muscle is rapidly stretched, force rises and peaks while muscle lengthens. The peak force is normally called critical-force (Pc). The mechanism behind this increase in force is not well understood, but it has been associated with crossbridges operating in different states.

METHODS

Myofibrils were attached between a cantilever and a micro-needle, and activated with Ca(2+) or MgADP. During activation, the myofibrils were stretched by 3% SLo at 10 SLo·s(-1). A crossbridge model was developed to better understand the effects of MgADP in myofibrils activation.

RESULTS

Despite a similar stretch magnitude, MgADP activation produced a higher Pc (1.37 ± 0.07 P/Po) than Ca(2+) activation (Pc = 1.23 ± 0.03 P/Po). These results suggest that myofibrils activated with MgADP become stiffer than myofibrils activated with Ca(2+).

CONCLUSIONS

MgADP induces a fraction of crossbridges to form a "rigor-like" state that precedes ADP release, and that may not contribute to isometric forces. Such interpretation was strengthened by the results obtained with the developed crossbridge model, which showed that MgADP bias crossbridges into the rigor-like state. This state would be crucial to initiate a cooperative activation of crossbridges and actin, and to resist to unbinding from actin when the myofibrils are stretched.

SIGNIFICANCE

Our results suggest a new mechanism contributing for force output during stretch, which underlies basic mechanisms of muscle contraction.

Poorly understood aspects of striated muscle contraction

Muscle contraction results from cyclic interactions between the contractile proteins myosin and actin, driven by the turnover of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Despite intense studies, several molecular events in the contraction process are poorly understood, including the relationship between force-generation and phosphate-release in the ATP-turnover. Different aspects of the force-generating transition are reflected in the changes in tension development by muscle cells, myofibrils and single molecules upon changes in temperature, altered phosphate concentration, or length perturbations. It has been notoriously difficult to explain all these events within a given theoretical framework and to unequivocally correlate observed events with the atomic structures of the myosin motor. Other incompletely understood issues include the role of the two heads of myosin II and structural changes in the actin filaments as well as the importance of the three-dimensional order. We here review these issues in relation to controversies regarding basic physiological properties of striated muscle. We also briefly consider actomyosin mutation effects in cardiac and skeletal muscle function and the possibility to treat these defects by drugs.

Mechanisms of enhanced force production in lengthening (eccentric) muscle contractions

In contrast to isometric and shortening contractions, many observations made on actively lengthening muscles cannot be readily explained with the sliding filament and cross-bridge theory. Specifically, residual force enhancement, the persistent increase in force following active muscle lengthening, beyond what one would expect based on muscle length, has not been explained satisfactorily. Here, we summarize the experimental evidence on residual force enhancement, critically evaluate proposed mechanisms for the residual force enhancement, and propose a mechanism for residual force enhancement that explains all currently agreed upon experimental observations. The proposed mechanism is based on the engagement of the structural protein titin upon muscle activation and an increase in titin's resistance to active compared with passive stretching. This change in resistance from the passive to the active state is suggested to be based on 1) calcium binding by titin upon activation, 2) binding of titin to actin upon activation, and 3) as a consequence of titin-actin binding—a shift toward stiffer titin segments that are used in active compared with passive muscle elongation. Although there is some experimental evidence for the proposed mechanism, it must be stressed that much of the details proposed here remain unclear and should provide ample research opportunities for scientists in the future. Nevertheless, the proposed mechanism for residual force enhancement explains all basic findings in this area of research.

An embryonic myosin isoform enables stretch activation and cyclical power in Drosophila jump muscle

The mechanism behind stretch activation (SA), a mechanical property that increases muscle force and oscillatory power generation, is not known. We used Drosophila transgenic techniques and our new muscle preparation, the jump muscle, to determine if myosin heavy chain isoforms influence the magnitude and rate of SA force generation. We found that Drosophila jump muscles show very low SA force and cannot produce positive power under oscillatory conditions at pCa 5.0. However, we transformed the jump muscle to be moderately stretch-activatable by replacing its myosin isoform with an embryonic isoform (EMB). Expressing EMB, jump muscle SA force increased by 163% and it generated net positive power. The rate of SA force development decreased by 58% with EMB expression. Power generation is Pi dependent as >4 mM Pi was required for positive power from EMB. Pi increased EMB SA force, but not wild-type SA force. Our data suggest that when muscle expressing EMB is stretched, EMB is more easily driven backward to a weakly bound state than wild-type jump muscle. This increases the number of myosin heads available to rapidly bind to actin and contribute to SA force generation. We conclude that myosin heavy chain isoforms influence both SA kinetics and SA force, which can determine if a muscle is capable of generating oscillatory power at a fixed calcium concentration.

Force enhancement in lengthening contractions of cat soleus muscle in situ: transient and steady-state aspects

Force enhancement (FE) associated with lengthening is a well-accepted phenomenon of active skeletal muscle, but the underlying mechanism(s) remain unknown. Similar to force depression (FD) following active shortening, the mechanism of FE may be attributed, at least in part, to cross-bridge kinetics. To examine this relationship, a post hoc analysis was performed on the transient force relaxation phase of previous in-situ FE experiments in soleus muscle-tendon units of anesthetized cats. For each muscle (n = 8), nine eccentric lengthenings (3 amplitudes, 3 velocities) were performed while tetanically stimulated (3T at 30 Hz, 3× α motorneuron, 35 ± 1°C). To determine transient aspects of FE, the period immediately following stretching was fit with an exponential decay function (R (2) > 0.95). Statistical analyses revealed that total steady-state FE (FESS) increased with stretching amplitude and applied mechanical work. A positive relationship was observed between the active FESS and rate of force decay (k), indicating that a kinetic mechanism may explain active FE. However, for all muscles and stretch conditions, there was no correlation between the total amount of FESS and rate of decay. Therefore, FE cannot be explained solely by an active FE mechanism involving the interaction of actin and myosin. Rather, these findings suggest a combination of underlying mechanisms, including a kinetic mechanism for active FE, contributions of a passive elastic element, and possibly an activatable passive component operating outside of actin-myosin cross-bridging. Moreover, this transient analysis identifies that FE is not simply the opposite of FD, and its underlying mechanism(s) cannot simply be the opposite in nature.

Mechanism of force enhancement during and after lengthening of active muscle: a temperature dependence study

The aim of the present study was to examine the temperature dependence of active force in lengthening and shortening muscle. Experiments were done, in vitro, on bundles of intact fibres (fibre length L(0) ~2 mm; sarcomere length ~2.5 μm) isolated from a rat fast muscle (flexor hallucis brevis) and a ramp length change of 5-7% L(0) was applied on the plateau of an isometric tetanic contraction. Ramp lengthening increased and ramp shortening decreased the muscle tension to new approximately steady levels in a velocity-dependent way. The isometric tension and the lower steady tension reached at a given shortening velocity, increased with warming from 10 to 35 °C and the relation between tension and reciprocal absolute temperature was sigmoidal. However, the tension-temperature curve of shortening muscle was sharper and shifted to higher temperature with increased velocity. In contrast, the enhanced steady tension during lengthening at a given velocity was largely temperature-insensitive within the same temperature range; we hypothesize that the tension-temperature curve may be shifted to lower temperatures in lengthening muscle. Consequently, when normalised to the isometric tension at each temperature, the tension during lengthening at a given velocity decreased exponentially with increase of temperature. The residual force enhancement that remains after ramp lengthening showed a similar behaviour and was markedly reduced in warming from 10 to 35 °C. The findings are consistent with the thesis that active force generation in muscle is endothermic and strain-sensitive; during shortening with a faster crossbridge cycle it becomes more pronounced, but during lengthening it becomes depressed as the cycle slows in a velocity-dependent way. The residual force enhancement may be caused by the same process in addition to non-crossbridge mechanism(s).

The mechanisms of the residual force enhancement after stretch of skeletal muscle: non-uniformity in half-sarcomeres and stiffness of titin

When activated skeletal muscles are stretched, the force increases significantly. After the stretch, the force decreases and reaches a steady-state level that is higher than the force produced at the corresponding length during purely isometric contractions. This phenomenon, referred to as residual force enhancement, has been observed for more than 50 years, but the mechanism remains elusive, generating considerable debate in the literature. This paper reviews studies performed with single muscle fibres, myofibrils and sarcomeres to investigate the mechanisms of the stretch-induced force enhancement. First, the paper summarizes the characteristics of force enhancement and early hypotheses associated with non-uniformity of sarcomere length. Then, it reviews new evidence suggesting that force enhancement can also be associated with sarcomeric structures. Finally, this paper proposes that force enhancement is caused by: (i) half-sarcomere non-uniformities that will affect the levels of passive forces and overlap between myosin and actin filaments, and (ii) a Ca(2+)-induced stiffness of titin molecules. These mechanisms are compatible with most observations in the literature, and can be tested directly with emerging technologies in the near future.

Mechanisms Of Residual Force Enhancement In Skeletal Muscle: Insights From Experiments And Mathematical Models

A skeletal muscle that is stretched while contracting will produce more force at steady state than if it is stretched passively and then stimulated to contract. This phenomenon is known as residual force enhancement and has been widely studied since its description more than sixty years ago. The idea that the mechanical properties of a muscle are governed not just by its present length but also by its length at earlier time points has far reaching implications since muscles stretch and shorten routinely in normal use. In this review, we present the experimental and theoretical advances that have been made toward understanding the mechanisms that underlie residual force enhancement. In the past ten years, experiments and models have focused on essentially three candidate mechanisms for residual force enhancement: (half-) sarcomere inhomogeneity, activity of so-called 'passive' mechanical elements in the sarcomere (titin), and the intrinsic properties of myosin crossbridges. Evidence, both computational and experimental, is accumulating for each of these mechanisms such that a final description of the phenomenon seems attainable in the near future. We conclude that computational models that incorporate more than one putative mechanism may ultimately facilitate reconciliation of the growing number of ideas and experimental data in this field.

A mathematical model of muscle containing heterogeneous half-sarcomeres exhibits residual force enhancement

A skeletal muscle fiber that is stimulated to contract and then stretched from L₁ to L₂ produces more force after the initial transient decays than if it is stimulated at L₂. This behavior has been well studied experimentally, and is known as residual force enhancement. The underlying mechanism remains controversial. We hypothesized that residual force enhancement could reflect mechanical interactions between heterogeneous half-sarcomeres. To test this hypothesis, we subjected a computational model of interacting heterogeneous half-sarcomeres to the same activation and stretch protocols that produce residual force enhancement in real preparations. Following a transient period of elevated force associated with active stretching, the model predicted a slowly decaying force enhancement lasting >30 seconds after stretch. Enhancement was on the order of 13% above isometric tension at the post-stretch muscle length, which agrees well with experimental measurements. Force enhancement in the model was proportional to stretch magnitude but did not depend strongly on the velocity of stretch, also in agreement with experiments. Even small variability in the strength of half-sarcomeres (2.1% standard deviation, normally distributed) was sufficient to produce a 5% force enhancement over isometric tension. Analysis of the model suggests that heterogeneity in half-sarcomeres leads to residual force enhancement by storing strain energy introduced during active stretch in distributions of bound cross-bridges. Complex interactions between the heterogeneous half-sarcomeres then dissipate this stored energy at a rate much slower than isolated cross-bridges would cycle. Given the variations in half-sarcomere length that have been observed in real muscle preparations and the stochastic variability inherent in all biological systems, half-sarcomere heterogeneity cannot be excluded as a contributing source of residual force enhancement.

Textbooks often state that the force produced by a contracting muscle depends on its length. Nearly 60 years ago, it was discovered that this length-tension relationship is violated if the muscle is stretched to a given length while contracting, in which case the muscle produces more force than if it was stretched to the given length prior to contraction. This effect is known as residual force enhancement, and its mechanism remains controversial. Understanding residual force enhancement is important because it potentially affects outcomes of many in vivo and in vitro experiments where contracting muscles or muscle preparations are stretched. In this work, we use a computational model of half-sarcomeres connected in series to show that residual force enhancement is an emergent behavior of the contractile system when the half-sarcomeres are not completely identical. Force enhancement in the model shares several key properties with the phenomenon observed in real muscle, including independence from the rate of stretch and proportionality to stretch magnitude. Enhancement in the model is produced by a previously undescribed mechanism in which complex interactions between the heterogeneous half-sarcomeres dissipate strain-energy from the imposed stretch at very slow rates, creating a long-lasting, enhanced level of force.

Crossbridge and filament compliance in muscle: implications for tension generation and lever arm swing

The stiffness of myosin heads attached to actin is a crucial parameter in determining the kinetics and mechanics of the crossbridge cycle. It has been claimed that the stiffness of myosin heads in the anterior tibialis muscle of the common frog (Rana temporaria) is as high as 3.3 pN/nm, substantially higher than its value in rabbit muscle (~1.7 pN/nm). However, the crossbridge stiffness measurement has a large error since the contribution of crossbridges to half-sarcomere compliance is obtained by subtracting from the half-sarcomere compliance the contributions of the thick and thin filaments, each with a substantial error. Calculation of its value for isometric contraction also depends on the fraction of heads that are attached, for which there is no consensus. Surprisingly, the stiffness of the myosin head from the edible frog, Rana esculenta, determined in the same manner, is only 60% of that in Rana temporaria. In our view it is unlikely that the value of such a crucial parameter could differ so substantially between two frog species. Since the means of the myosin head stiffness in these two species are not significantly different, we suggest that the best estimate of the stiffness of the myosin heads for frog muscle is the average of these data, a value similar to that for rabbit muscle. This would allow both frog and rabbit muscles to operate the same low-cooperativity mechanism for the crossbridge cycle with only one or two tension-generating steps. We review evidence that much of the compliance of the myosin head is located in the pliant region where the lever arm emerges from the converter and propose that tension generation ("tensing") caused by the rotation and movement of the converter is a separate event from the passive swinging of the lever arm in its working stroke in which the strain energy stored in the pliant region is used to do work.

Effects of blebbistatin and Ca2+ concentration on force produced during stretch of skeletal muscle fibers

When activated muscle fibers are stretched at low speeds [≤2 optimal length ( Lo)/s], force increases in two phases, marked by a change in slope [critical force (Pc)] that happens at a critical sarcomere length extension ( Lc). Some studies attribute Pc to the number of attached cross bridges before stretch, while others attribute it to cross bridges in a pre-power-stroke state. In this study, we reinvestigated the mechanisms of forces produced during stretch by altering either the number of cross bridges attached to actin or the cross-bridge state before stretch. Two sets of experiments were performed: 1) activated fibers were stretched by 3% Lo at speeds of 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 Lo/s in different pCa2+ (4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0), or 2) activated fibers were stretched by 3% Lo at 2 Lo/s in pCa2+ 4.5 containing either 5 μM blebbistatin(+/−) or its inactive isomer (+/+). All stretches started at a sarcomere length (SL) of 2.5 μm. When fibers were activated at a pCa2+ of 4.5, Pc was 2.47 ± 0.11 maximal force developed before stretch (Po) and decreased with lower concentrations of Ca2+. Lc was not Ca2+ dependent; the pooled experiments provided a Lc of 14.34 ± 0.34 nm/half-sarcomere (HS). Pc and Lc did not change with velocities of stretch. Fibers activated in blebbistatin(+/−) showed a higher Pc (2.94 ± 0.17 Po) and Lc (16.30 ± 0.38 nm/HS) than control fibers (Pc 2.31 ± 0.08 Po; Lc 14.05 ± 0.63 nm/HS). The results suggest that forces produced during stretch are caused by both the number of cross bridges attached to actin and the cross bridges in a pre-power-stroke state. Such cross bridges are stretched by large amplitudes before detaching from actin and contribute significantly to the force developed during stretch.

Force and power generating mechanism(s) in active muscle as revealed from temperature perturbation studies

The basic characteristics of the process of force and power generation in active muscle that have emerged from temperature studies are examined. This is done by reviewing complementary findings from temperature-dependence studies and rapid temperature-jump (T-jump) experiments and from intact and skinned fast mammalian muscle fibres. In isometric muscle, a small T-jump leads to a characteristic rise in force showing that crossbridge force generation is endothermic (heat absorbed) and associated with increased entropy (disorder). The sensitivity of the T-jump force generation to added inorganic phosphate (Pi) indicates that a T-jump enhances an early step in the actomyosin (crossbridge) ATPase cycle before Pi-release. During muscle lengthening when steady force is increased, the T-jump force generation is inhibited. Conversely, during shortening when steady force is decreased, the T-jump force generation is enhanced in a velocity-dependent manner, showing that T-jump force generation is strain sensitive. Within the temperature range of ∼5–35◦C, the temperature dependence of steady active force is sigmoidal both in isometric and in shortening muscle. However, in shortening muscle, the endothermic character of force generation becomes more pronounced with increased velocity and this can, at least partly, account for the marked increase with warming of the mechanical power output of active muscle.

Is the cross-bridge stiffness proportional to tension during muscle fiber activation?

The cross-bridge stiffness can be used to estimate the number of S1 that are bound to actin during contraction, which is a critical parameter for elucidating the fundamental mechanism of the myosin motor. At present, the development of active tension and the increase in muscle stiffness due to S1 binding to actin are thought to be linearly related to the number of cross-bridges formed upon activation. The nonlinearity of total stiffness with respect to active force is thought to arise from the contribution of actin and myosin filament stiffness to total sarcomere elasticity. In this work, we reexamined the relation of total stiffness to tension during activation and during exposure to N-benzyl-p-toluene sulphonamide, an inhibitor of cross-bridge formation. In addition to filament and cross-bridge elasticity, our findings are best accounted for by the inclusion of an extra elasticity in parallel with the cross-bridges, which is formed upon activation but is insensitive to the subsequent level of cross-bridge formation. By analyzing the rupture tension of the muscle (an independent measure of cross-bridge formation) at different levels of activation, we found that this additional elasticity could be explained as the stiffness of a population of no-force-generating cross-bridges. These findings call into question the assumption that active force development can be taken as directly proportional to the cross-bridge number.

Force Enhancement of Quadriceps Femoris in Vivo and Its Dependence on Stretch-Induced Muscle Architectural Changes

The purpose of this study was to investigate if force enhancement (FE) in vivo is influenced by stretch-induced changes of muscle architecture. Therefore, 18 subjects performed maximum voluntary isometric (100° knee flexion angle) and isometric-eccentric-isometric stretch contractions (80°–100° ω = 60°s−1) whereby pennation angle and fascicle length of vastus lateralis was determined using ultrasonography. We found significant (2-way repeated ANOVA; α = 0.05) enhanced torque of 5–10% after stretch as well as significant passive FE but no significant differences in muscle architecture between isometric and stretch contractions at final knee angle. Furthermore, EMG recordings during a follow-up study (n= 10) did not show significant differences in activation and mean frequency of contraction conditions. These results indicate that FE in vivo is not influenced by muscle architectural changes due to stretch.

Reversal of the myosin power stroke induced by fast stretching of intact skeletal muscle fibers

Force generation and movement in skeletal muscle result from a cyclical interaction of overlapping myosin and actin filaments that permits the free energy of ATP hydrolysis to be converted into mechanical work. The rapid force recovery that occurs after a step release imposed on a muscle is thought to result from a synchronized tilting of myosin lever arms toward a position of lower free energy (the power stroke). We investigated the power stroke mechanism in intact muscle fibers of Rana esculenta using a fast stretch to detach forcibly cross-bridges. Stretches were applied either with or without a conditioning step release. Cross-bridge rupture tension was not significantly influenced by the release, whereas sarcomere elongation at the rupture point increased immediately after the release and returned to the prerelease condition within 15-20 ms, following a slower time course compared to the recovery of tension. These observations suggest that the rupture force of a bridge is unaltered by a conditioning release, but rupture must first be preceded by a power stroke reversal, which restores the prepower stroke state. The sarcomere extension at the rupture point indicates both the extent of this power stroke reversal and the time course of strained bridge replenishment.

Non-linear myofilament elasticity in frog intact muscle fibres

The aim of the present investigation was to elucidate the elastic properties of the myofilaments during tetanic activity in striated muscle. The study was carried out on intact single muscle fibres from the anterior tibialis muscle of Rana temporaria (2.0-2.5 degrees C). The instantaneous stiffness was measured as the change in force that occurred in response to a high-frequency (2-4 kHz) length oscillation while the fibre was released to shorten against a pre-set constant load that ranged between 40 and 70% of maximum tetanic force in different experiments. Measurements of fibre stiffness were carried out, at a given load, both at 2.20 microm sarcomere length (S(2.20)), i.e. at full overlap between the thick and thin filaments, and at 2.60 microm sarcomere length (S(2.60)). The fact that the load on the fibre was constant during the stiffness measurements at the two sarcomere lengths implies that the stiffness of elastic elements, acting in series with the myofilaments, was constant at the two sarcomere lengths. The fibre stiffness was consistently lower at the extended sarcomere length, the S(2.60)/S(2.20) ratio ranging from 0.83 to 0.97 at the different loads investigated. Based on the S(2.60)/S(2.20) ratio, the compliance of the free portions of the thick and thin filaments could be calculated. The myofilament stiffness was found to increase progressively as the load was raised from 40 to 70% of maximum tetanic force. At 2.20 microm sarcomere length and at 40% of maximum load on the fibre, the calculated myofilament stiffness was approximately 2.5 times the maximum cross-bridge stiffness.

Insights into the kinetics of Ca2+-regulated contraction and relaxation from myofibril studies

Muscle contraction results from force-generating interactions between myosin cross-bridges on the thick filament and actin on the thin filament. The force-generating interactions are regulated by Ca(2+) via specialised proteins of the thin filament. It is controversial how the contractile and regulatory systems dynamically interact to determine the time course of muscle contraction and relaxation. Whereas kinetics of Ca(2+)-induced thin-filament regulation is often investigated with isolated proteins, force kinetics is usually studied in muscle fibres. The gap between studies on isolated proteins and structured fibres is now bridged by recent techniques that analyse the chemical and mechanical kinetics of small components of a muscle fibre, subcellular myofibrils isolated from skeletal and cardiac muscle. Formed of serially arranged repeating units called sarcomeres, myofibrils have a complete fully structured ensemble of contractile and Ca(2+) regulatory proteins. The small diameter of myofibrils (few micrometres) facilitates analysis of the kinetics of sarcomere contraction and relaxation induced by rapid changes of [ATP] or [Ca(2+)]. Among the processes studied on myofibrils are: (1) the Ca(2+)-regulated switch on/off of the troponin complex, (2) the chemical steps in the cross-bridge adenosine triphosphatase cycle, (3) the mechanics of force generation and (4) the length dynamics of individual sarcomeres. These studies give new insights into the kinetics of thin-filament regulation and of cross-bridge turnover, how cross-bridges transform chemical energy into mechanical work, and suggest that the cross-bridge ensembles of each half-sarcomere cooperate with each other across the half-sarcomere borders. Additionally, we now have a better understanding of muscle relaxation and its impairment in certain muscle diseases.

Pre-power stroke cross bridges contribute to force during stretch of skeletal muscle myofibrils

When activated skeletal muscle is stretched, force increases in two phases. This study tested the hypothesis that the increase in stretch force during the first phase is produced by pre-power stroke cross bridges. Myofibrils were activated in sarcomere lengths (SLs) between 2.2 and 2.5 microm, and stretched by approximately 5-15 per cent SL. When stretch was performed at 1 microms-1SL-1, the transition between the two phases occurred at a critical stretch (SLc) of 8.4+/-0.85 nm half-sarcomere (hs)-1 and the force (critical force; Fc) was 1.62+/-0.24 times the isometric force (n=23). At stretches performed at a similar velocity (1 microms-1SL-1), 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM; 1 mM) that biases cross bridges into pre-power stroke states decreased the isometric force to 21.45+/-9.22 per cent, but increased the relative Fc to 2.35+/-0.34 times the isometric force and increased the SLc to 14.6+/-0.6 nm hs-1 (n=23), suggesting that pre-power stroke cross bridges are largely responsible for stretch forces.