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Contractile Mechanisms in Muscle pp 473–493Cite as

Sarcomere Length Changes in Single Frog Muscle Fibres during Tetani at Long Sarcomere Lengths

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Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 37))

Abstract

Laser diffraction and photomicrography have been used to monitor sarcomere length changes in single muscle fibres of the frog, at long sarcomere lengths, during fixed end tetani.

In the central 90% of all fibres, changes in sarcomere length were consistently less than 0.25 μm. Sarcomere length showed an initial rapid change, followed by a progressively slower increase, which persisted throughout a 4s tetanus. Sarcomere length in the terminal 200–400 μm segment at each end of a fibre decreased rapidly by up to 1 μm in the first second of a tetanus. This shortening was accompanied by a marked increase in disorder of the striation pattern.

Maximum isometric tensions in fixed end tetani were much greater than those predicted by crossbridge theory over the entire range of sarcomere lengths studied. An analysis of the intersarcomere dynamics suggests that this extra tension may be explained by known phenomena on the basis of a progressive increase in sarcomere length dispersion along the fibre.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology and Division of Bioengineering RN-10, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA

    John D. Altringham & G. H. Pollack

Authors
  1. John D. Altringham
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  2. G. H. Pollack
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA

    Gerald H. Pollack

  2. Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Haruo Sugi

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© 1984 Plenum Press, New York

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Altringham, J.D., Pollack, G.H. (1984). Sarcomere Length Changes in Single Frog Muscle Fibres during Tetani at Long Sarcomere Lengths. In: Pollack, G.H., Sugi, H. (eds) Contractile Mechanisms in Muscle. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 37. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4703-3_42

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4703-3_42

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-4705-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-4703-3

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