The apparent rates of crossbridge attachment and detachment estimated from ATPase activity in insect flight muscle.

The ATPase activity of single fibers of small fiber bundles (one to three fibers) of insect flight muscle was measured when fibers were repetitively released and restretched by 1.5% of their initial length. The ATPase activity increased with increasing duration of release-restretch pulses applied at a constant repetition frequency, reaching a maximum at a duration of approximately 20 ms. For a given duration, the average ATPase activity also increased with increasing frequency of applied length changes and reached a maximum (200% of the isometric ATPase) at a frequency of approximately 50 Hz. The data could be fitted to a two-state model in which the apparent rate of crossbridge detachment is enhanced when the crossbridges are mechanically released. Estimates of the apparent rates of attachment and detachment in the isometrically contracting state and of the enhanced detachment rate of unloaded crossbridges were derived from fits to the two-state model. After short pulses of releasing and restretching the fiber the force was low and increased after the restretch in a roughly exponential manner to the initial level. The rate at which force increased after a release-restretch pulse was similar to the sum of the apparent attachment and detachment rates for the isometrically contracting muscle derived from the ATPase activity measurements.