Myofilament sliding per ATP molecule in rabbit muscle fibres studied using laser flash photolysis of caged ATP.

1. To estimate the distance of myofilament sliding per ATP molecule hydrolysed during the actin-myosin interaction in muscle, single glycerinated fibres prepared from rabbit psoas muscle were made to shorten under very small external loads (< or = 0.0005 maximum isometric force (Po), at 20-22 degrees C) by the laser flash photolysis of caged ATP (P3-1-(2-nitro) phenylethyladenosine 5'-triphosphate), a biologically inert and photolabile precursor of ATP. The laser flash-induced fibre shortening was recorded with a high-speed video system at 200 frames s-1. 2. Following the photochemical release of 75-300 microM ATP, the fibres shortened uniformly along the fibre length not only at the level of fibre segments but also at the level of sarcomeres. The fibres did not shorten appreciably in response to 50 microM ATP. 3. The initial velocity of the laser flash-induced fibre shortening increased with increasing concentration of released ATP, being 0.05 +/- 0.01, 0.12 +/- 0.04, 0.23 +/- 0.04, 0.38 +/- 0.03 and 0.95 +/- 0.08 microns s-1 (half-sarcomere)-1 (means +/- S.E.M., n = 10) with 75, 100, 150, 200 and 300 microM ATP, respectively. 4. The distance of the laser flash-induced fibre shortening also increased with increasing concentration of released ATP, being 10 +/- 2, 25 +/- 5, 65 +/- 7, 100 +/- 10 and 180 +/- 20 nm (half-sarcomere)-1 (means +/- S.E.M., n = 10) with 75, 100, 150, 200 and 300 microM ATP, respectively. 5. Comparison of the initial shortening velocities of the laser flash-induced shortening with the force-velocity relation of maximally Ca(2+)-activated fibres indicated the presence of considerable internal resistance against myofilament sliding following release of ATP. The initial velocity of shortening following the release of 300, 150 and 75 microM ATP was equal to the shortening velocity of maximally Ca(2+)-activated fibres under an external load of 0.55, 0.93 and 0.98 Po respectively. 6. These results suggest that, under nearly isometric conditions, the distance of myofilament sliding per ATP molecule hydrolysed is about 10 nm in each half-sarcomere.