Uptake and caffeine-induced release of calcium in fast muscle fibers of Xenopus laevis: effects of MgATP and P(i).

To elucidate the origin of the reduction in force during prolonged muscle fatigue, the dependency of Ca2+ uptake and release on MgATP and P(i) concentration was studied in saponin-skinned fast skeletal muscle fibers of the iliofibularis muscle of Xenopus laevis at 3 degrees C. The sarcoplasmic reticulum was loaded with Ca2+ for 5 min at pCa 7.0. The amount of Ca2+ released was derived from the area of the caffeine-induced force response. Ca2+ uptake increased with the MgATP concentration present during loading. It was half maximal at 20 microM and saturated at higher concentrations. The kinetics of Ca2+ release were affected for MgATP concentrations between 0.1 and 0.5 mM or less, but the amount of Ca2+ released by caffeine in ATP-free solutions was substantial. Phosphate (15 mM) only slightly reduced Ca2+ uptake when the loading period was short (1 min). It is unlikely, therefore, that the reduction in MgATP concentration contributes to the depression of Ca2+ released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum during fatigue. The increase in P(i) concentration could play a small role by reducing Ca2+ uptake.