Force relaxation, labile heat and parvalbumin content of skeletal muscle fibres of Xenopus laevis.

1. Measurements were made of stable (hb) and labile (ha) maintenance heat rate, slowing of relaxation as a function of tetanus duration, and parvalbumin (PA) content in intact single muscle fibres of types 1 and 2 from Xenopus laevis. The majority of experiments were performed at 20 degrees C. In addition, total and myofibrillar ATPase activity was measured in skinned Xenopus fibres, also of types 1 and 2; these studies were performed at 4 degrees C. 2. In agreement with a previous study hb was significantly higher in type 1 (175 +/- 13 mW (g wet wt)-1; n = 8) than in type 2 fibres (88 +/- 9 mW (g wet wt)-1; n = 7). The value of ha was 236 +/- 22 and 117 +/- 16 mW (g wet wt)-1, respectively (mean +/- S.E.M.). ha decayed with a time constant of 0.27 +/- 0.02 (n = 8) and 0.33 +/- 0.02 s (n = 7). 3. The early relaxation rate of tetanic force, extrapolated to the onset of stimulation (yo + yb; where yo is 'extra' rate of relaxation and yb steady rate) was 85.6 +/- 4.2 s-1 for type 1 fibres (n = 8) and 62.7 +/- 7.3 s-1 for type 2 fibres (n = 7). Relaxation rate at the end of a 1.8 s tetanus (yb) was 29.4 +/- 1.6 and 33.3 +/- 1.5 s-1, respectively; thus, there was more slowing with tetanus duration in type 1 fibres. The time constant for slowing of relaxation with tetanus duration was similar to that for decay of ha. 4. Parvalbumin concentration, [PA], was 0.45 +/- 0.04 mM in type 1 (n = 7) and 0.22 +/- 0.04 mM (n = 7) in type 2 fibres. 5. For individual fibres positive correlations were found between the 'extra' rate of relaxation (yo), labile heat (ha) and [PA]. Significantly more labile heat was liberated than can be accounted for by the enthalpy change of Ca2+ binding to PA. 6. For five fibres (type 1) studied both at 20 and 10 degrees C, the magnitude of slowing of relaxation, expressed as yo/(yo + yb), was 0.58 +/- 0.03 at 20 degrees C and 0.65 +/- 0.03 at 10 degrees C. 7. Both slowing of relaxation and labile heat were depressed in the second of two closely spaced tetani in type 1 fibres. Repriming of both effects followed similar, biphasic time courses and required more than 10 min for completion at 20 degrees C.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)