Publications
46 results found
Curtin NA, Lou F, Woledge RC, 2005, Predicting red muscle performance, Symposium on Locomotory Muscle Function and Control held at the 10th Benelux Congress for Zoology, Pages: 59-70
The active force production during contraction of bundles of red muscle fibres from myotomal muscle of dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula (L.) has been predicted by a numerical model based on Hill's 2-component model of the mechanical properties of muscle, with the addition of a simple model for the kinetics of activation. When all of these factors are included, the model makes good predictions for the force and power during stimulation. There are, however, significant discrepancies during relaxation after the end of stimulation, from which we conclude that additional processes have a large influence on force during relaxation. This has functional relevance for fish swimming because during relaxation the muscle fibre Continues its sinusoidal pattern of movement and thus continues to either produce power if shortening, or require power input from other structures to cause lengthening.
West TG, Curtin NA, Ferenczi MA, et al., 2004, Actomyosin energy turnover declines while force remains constant during isometric muscle contraction, JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON, Vol: 555, Pages: 27-43, ISSN: 0022-3751
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Linari M, Woledge RC, Curtin NA, 2003, Energy storage during stretch of active single fibres from frog skeletal muscle., J Physiol, Vol: 548, Pages: 461-474, ISSN: 0022-3751
Heat production and force were measured during tetani of single muscle fibres from anterior tibialis of frog. During stimulation fibres were either kept under isometric conditions, or were stretched or allowed to shorten (at constant velocity) after isometric force had reached its plateau value. The energy change was evaluated as the sum of heat and work (work = integral of force with respect to length change). Net energy absorption occurred during stretch at velocities greater than about 0.35 L0 s-1 (L0 is fibre length at resting sarcomere length 2.10 microm). Heat produced by 1 mm segments of the fibre was measured simultaneously and separately; energy absorption is not an artefact due to patchy heat production. The maximum energy absorption, 0.092 +/- 0.002 P0L0 (mean +/- S.E.M., n = 8; where P0 is isometric force at L0), occurred during the fastest stretches (1.64 L0 s-1) and amounted to more than half of the work done on the fibre. Energy absorption occurred in two phases. The amount in the first phase, 0.027 +/- 0.003 P0L0 (n = 32), was independent of velocity beyond 0.18 L0 s-1. The quantity absorbed in the second phase increased with velocity and did not reach a limiting value in the range of velocities used. After stretch, energy was produced in excess of the isometric rate, probably from dissipation of the stored energy. About 34 % (0.031 P0L0/0.092 P0L0) of the maximum absorbed energy could be stored elastically (in crossbridges, tendons, thick, thin and titin filaments) and by redistribution of crossbridge states. The remaining energy could have been stored in stretching transverse, elastic connections between myofibrils.
Woledge RC, Curtin NA, Rall JA, 2003, Molecular and cellular aspects of muscle contraction. General discussion part III., Adv Exp Med Biol, Vol: 538, Pages: 671-688, ISSN: 0065-2598
Woledge RC, Curtin NA, Linari M, 2003, Energy storage during stretch of active single fibres., Adv Exp Med Biol, Vol: 538, Pages: 627-633, ISSN: 0065-2598
Curtin NA, West TG, Ferenczi MA, et al., 2003, Rate of actomyosin ATP hydrolysis diminishes during isometric contraction., Molecular and Cellular Aspects of Muscle Contraction, Editors: Sugi, Publisher: Kluwer Academic Plenum Publishers, New York, Pages: 613-625, ISBN: 9780306478703
Woledge RC, Curtin NA, Linari M, 2003, Energy storage during stretch of active single fibres, Molecular and Cellular Aspects of Muscle Contraction, Editors: Sugi, Publisher: Kluwer Academic Plenum Publishers, New York, Pages: 627-633, ISBN: 9780306478703
Curtin NA, West TG, Ferenczi MA, et al., 2003, Rate of actomyosin ATP hydrolysis diminishes during isometric contraction, MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR ASPECTS OF MUSCLE CONTRACTION, Vol: 538, Pages: 613-626, ISSN: 0065-2598
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- Citations: 3
Curtin NA, Clapham JC, Barclay CJ, 2002, Excess recovery heat production by isolated muscles from mice overexpressing uncoupling protein-3., J Physiol, Vol: 542, Pages: 231-235, ISSN: 0022-3751
Contractile and energetic performance of bundles of muscle fibres from the soleus of mice overexpressing uncoupling protein 3 (UCP-3tg) were compared with the performance of bundles from wild-type mice. Force and heat production were measured during a series of thirty 0.2 s isometric tetani at L(o), the length optimal for force. UCP-3tg fibres were as strong as the wild-type and maintained force in the series equally well; in the first tetanus force was 116.9 +/- 15.1 and 133.3 +/- 19.7 mN x mm(-2) respectively (all values means +/- S.E.M., n = 6 for UCP-3tg and n = 5 for wild-type). Heat production was partitioned into initial heat (due to contractile ATPases and the creatine kinase reaction) and recovery heat (due to other ATP-supplying processes) and expressed relative to the first cycle total heat. Initial heat production was similar for the UCP-3tg and wild-type fibres, decreasing during the series from 0.799 +/- 0.052 to 0.661 +/- 0.061 relative units (UCP-3tg), and from 0.806 +/- 0.024 to 0.729 +/- 0.039 relative units (wild-type). In both types the recovery heat was small at the start of the series and increased as the series progressed. At the end of the series, recovery heat production by UCP-3tg fibres, 1.575 +/- 0.246 relative units, was twice that of the wild-type fibres, 0.729 +/- 0.072 relative units. The extra recovery heat represents inefficient recovery in UCP-3tg fibres. This is the first direct evidence of enhanced energy dissipation as heat when UCP-3tg is overexpressed.
Kier WM, Curtin NA, 2002, Fast muscle in squid (Loligo pealei): contractile properties of a specialized muscle fibre type., J Exp Biol, Vol: 205, Pages: 1907-1916, ISSN: 0022-0949
The contractile properties of the transverse muscle of the tentacles and the transverse muscle of the arms of the squid Loligo pealei were investigated using small muscle fibre bundle preparations. In addition, transmission electron microscopy was used to measure the length of the thick myofilaments of the two muscle fibre types. The thick filament length of the cross-striated tentacle fibres was 0.81+/-0.08 microm (mean +/- S.D, N=51) while that of the obliquely striated arm muscle fibres was 7.41+/-0.44 microm (N=58). The difference in thick filament length of the two muscle types was predicted to result in a much higher shortening velocity of the tentacle muscle compared with the arm muscle. This was tested by investigating the force/velocity relationship for isotonic shortening of the two muscle types. Fitting Hill's equation to the results gave a maximum shortening velocity (V(max), the intercept on the velocity axis) of 15.4+/-1.0 L(0) s(-1) (mean +/- S.D., N=9) for the tentacle fibres and of 1.5+/-0.2 L(0) s(-1) (N=8) for the arm fibres, where L(0) is the length at which peak isometric force was recorded. The difference in thick filament length was also predicted to result in lower peak tension in the tentacle versus the arm muscle. For the tentacle, the mean peak tetanic tension during a brief isometric tetanus (0.2s) of 131+/-56 mN mm(-2) cross-sectional area (mean +/- S.D., N=12) was observed at a stimulus frequency of 80 Hz, whereas the mean peak tetanic tension of the arm fibres during a brief isometric tetanus (0.2s) was 468+/-91 mN mm(-2) (N=5) and was observed at a stimulus frequency of 160 Hz. The length/force relationships (expressed relative to L(0)) of the two muscle types were similar. The ratio of twitch force to peak tetanic force was 0.66 in the tentacle fibres, but only 0.03 in the arm fibres.
Lou F, Curtin NA, Woledge RC, 2002, Isometric and isovelocity contractile performance of red muscle fibres from the dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula., J Exp Biol, Vol: 205, Pages: 1585-1595, ISSN: 0022-0949
Maximum isometric tetanic force produced by bundles of red muscle fibres from dogfish, Scyliorhinus canicula (L.), was 142.4+/-10.3 kN m(-2) (N=35 fibre bundles); this was significantly less than that produced by white fibres 289.2+/-8.4 kN m(-2) (N=25 fibre bundles) (means +/- S.E.M.). Part, but not all, of the difference is due to mitochondrial content. The maximum unloaded shortening velocity, 1.693+/-0.108 L(0) s(-1) (N=6 fibre bundles), was measured by the slack-test method. L(0) is the length giving maximum isometric force. The force/velocity relationship was investigated using a step-and-ramp protocol in seven red fibre bundles. The following equation was fitted to the data: [(P/P(0))+(a/P(0))](V+b)=[(P(0)(*)/P(0))+(a/P(0))]b, where P is force during shortening at velocity V, P(0) is the isometric force before shortening, and a, b and P(0)(*) are fitted constants. The fitted values were P(0)(*)/P(0)=1.228+/-0.053, V(max)=1.814+/-0.071 L(0) s(-1), a/P(0)=0.269+/-0.024 and b=0.404+/-0.041 L(0) s(-1) (N=7 for all values). The maximum power was 0.107+/-0.005P(0)V(max) and was produced during shortening at 0.297+/-0.012V(max). Compared with white fibres from dogfish, the red fibres have a lower P(0) (49%) and V(max) (48%), but the shapes of the force/velocity curves are similar. Thus, the white and red fibres have equal capacities to produce power within the limits set by the isometric force and maximum velocity of shortening of each fibre type. A step shortening of 0.050+/-0.003L(0) (N=7) reduced the maximum isometric force in the red fibres' series elasticity to zero. The series elasticity includes all elastic structures acting in series with the attached cross-bridges. Three red fibre bundles were stretched at a constant velocity, and force (measured when length reached L(0)) was 1.519+/-0.032P(0). In the range of velocities used here, -0.28 to -0.63V(max), force varied little with the velocity.
Edman KA, Curtin NA, 2001, Synchronous oscillations of length and stiffness during loaded shortening of frog muscle fibres., J Physiol, Vol: 534, Pages: 553-563, ISSN: 0022-3751
1. A study was made of the damped oscillations in fibre length that are observed when isolated muscle fibres from the frog are released during the plateau of an isometric tetanus to shorten against a constant load (force clamp recording) near the isometric level (temperature, 1.0-11.0 degrees C; initial sarcomere length, 2.25 microm). 2. The oscillatory length changes of the whole fibre were associated with similar length changes of marked consecutive segments along the fibre. The segmental length changes were initially in synchrony with the whole-fibre movements but became gradually more disordered. At the same time the length oscillation of the whole fibre was progressively damped. 3. The fast length step that normally occurs at the outset of the load-clamp manoeuvre was essential for initiating the oscillatory behaviour. Accordingly, no length oscillation occurred when the load clamp was arranged to start as soon as the selected tension level was reached during the rising phase of the tetanus. 4. The instantaneous stiffness was measured as the change in force that occurred in response to a high-frequency (2-4 kHz) length oscillation of the fibre. During the load-clamp manoeuvre, when the tension was kept constant, the stiffness underwent periodic changes that correlated well in time with the damped oscillatory changes in fibre length. However, there was a phase shift between the stiffness oscillation and the oscillation of shortening velocity, the latter being in the lead of the stiffness response by 21.4 +/- 0.8 ms (n = 19) at 1.8 +/- 0.1 degrees C. 5. A mechanism is proposed to explain the oscillatory behaviour of the muscle fibre based on the idea that the quick length step at the outset of the load clamp leads to synchronous activity of the myosin cross-bridges along the length of the fibre.
D'Août K, Curtin NA, Williams TL, et al., 2001, Mechanical properties of red and white swimming muscles as a function of the position along the body of the eel Anguilla anguilla., J Exp Biol, Vol: 204, Pages: 2221-2230, ISSN: 0022-0949
The way in which muscles power steady swimming depends on a number of factors, including fibre type and recruitment, muscle strain, stimulation pattern and intensity, and the intrinsic mechanical properties of the muscle fibres. For a number of undulatory swimming fish species, in vivo studies have shown that muscles at different positions along the body are stimulated during different phases of the strain cycle. Moreover, some intrinsic contractile properties of the muscles have been found to vary according to their position along the body. We report the first results on the mechanical properties of the red and white muscles of an anguilliform swimmer, Anguilla anguilla. Small preparations (0.147-1.335 mg dry mass) were dissected from positions at fractions of 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 of total body length (BL). We determined the time to 50% and 100% peak force and from the last stimulus to 50% relaxation for isometric contractions; we measured the sarcomere lengths that coincided with in situ resting length. None of these quantities varied significantly with the longitudinal position from which the fibres were taken. We also measured power and work output during contractions under conditions approximating those used in vivo (cycle frequency, 1Hz; strain amplitude, +/- 10%L(0), where L(0) is the length giving maximum isometric force). During these experiments, work output was affected by stimulation phase, but did not depend on the longitudinal position in the body from which the muscles were taken. Our results indicate that red and white eel muscles have uniform properties along the body. In this respect, they differ from the muscle of most non-anguilliforms, in which muscle kinetics varies in a systematic way along the body. Uniform properties may be beneficial for anguilliform swimmers, in which the amplitude of the travelling wave can be pronounced over the entire body length.
Williams TL, Bowtell G, Curtin NA, 1998, Predicting force generation by lamprey muscle during applied sinusoidal movement using a simple dynamic model, Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol: 201, Pages: 869-875, ISSN: 0022-0949
Experiments were performed on single-myotome preparations of lamprey muscle, to discover whether force developed by intermittent tetanic stimulation during imposed sinusoidal movement could be predicted by data collected from isometric and constant-velocity experiments. We developed a simple dynamic model consisting of a set of simultaneous ordinary differential equations with unknown parameters. Appropriate values of the parameters were found by fitting numerical solutions of the differential equations to data from the isometric and constant-velocity experiments. Predictions were made of the time course of force developed during imposed sinusoidal movement in which the phase between muscle shortening and tetanic stimulation was varied to cover the whole phase spectrum. The match between the predicted and recorded time courses was very good for all phases, and particularly for those phases that are seen during swimming in the intact animal.
Curtin NA, Williams TL, 1990, Force during shortening and stretch of active muscle fibres isolated from the lamprey, Ichthyomyzon unicuspis, ISSN: 0022-3751
Curtin NA, Howarth JV, Rall JA, et al., 1986, Absolute values of myothermic measurements on single muscle fibres from frog., J Muscle Res Cell Motil, Vol: 7, Pages: 327-332, ISSN: 0142-4319
The heat and force produced in tetanic contraction of single fibres from anterior tibialis muscle of the frog Rana temporaria have been observed at measured temperatures close to 1 and 10 degrees C. Heat was measured using a Hill-Downing type thermopile. In control experiments with a resistor of known heat capacity comparable to a single muscle fibre, it was found that Peltier and Joule heating produced identical thermopile outputs. The Peltier method was used to introduce a known amount of heat into the system in each experiment with a muscle fibre. From the response to this heating the heat capacity of each preparation was obtained and used to calculate the absolute amount of heat production from the thermopile output. The heat produced during tetanic contraction (H) could be described by Aubert's equation [H = Ha (1 - e-t/tau) + hbt]. In some fibres there was no labile heat (Ha), whereas in others it was clearly present. The stable heat rate (hb) was strongly temperature dependent (Q10 = 4.06). At 0 degree C the stable heat rate (normalized by dry weight) in the single fibres was significantly greater than that in whole anterior tibialis muscle.
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