Force-length relation of isometric sarcomeres in fixed-end tetani.

The higher force observed in fixed-end tetani relative to sarcomere-isometric tetani is commonly attributed to sarcomere length inhomogeneity; sarcomeres in the end regions of the fiber shorten extensively at the expense of the central sarcomeres. By shortening, these sarcomeres supposedly attain higher force production capacity and can thus account for the extra force. However, the fibers could also contain sarcomeres that stay isometric throughout most of the tetanic force plateau. If such sarcomeres undergo slight shortening before their isometric phase, their force-length relation should be elevated (A. Horowitz, H. P. M Wussling, and G. H. Pollack. Biophys. J. 63: 3-17, 1992). These sarcomeres may therefore account for the higher force in fixed-end tetani. To test this possibility, single frog semitendinosus fibers were tetanized under fixed-end conditions. Sarcomere length change during the tetanus was measured at different locations along the fiber by optical diffraction. Fibers stretched to average sarcomere lengths between 2.2 and 3.2 microns contained sarcomeres that, except for some initial shortening during the early part of the tetanus, remained isometric. These sarcomeres were located between the ends and the central region of the fibers. Their force-length relation was higher than the linear force-length relation based on sarcomere length clamps by an average of 14% between sarcomere lengths of 2.4-3.2 microns. Thus slight (1-5%) shortening may explain the relatively higher fixed-end force-length relation.