The length-tension curve in muscle depends on lattice spacing

Journal Article · Wed Jul 10 00:00:00 EDT 2013 · Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.0697· OSTI ID:1088549

Williams, C. D.; Salcedo, M. K.; Irving, T. C.; Regnier, M.; Daniel, T. L.

Classic interpretations of the striated muscle length–tension curve focus on how force varies with overlap of thin (actin) and thick (myosin) filaments. New models of sarcomere geometry and experiments with skinned synchronous insect flight muscle suggest that changes in the radial distance between the actin and myosin filaments, the filament lattice spacing, are responsible for between 20% and 50% of the change in force seen between sarcomere lengths of 1.4 and 3.4 µm. Thus, lattice spacing is a significant force regulator, increasing the slope of muscle's force–length dependence.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• OSTI ID: 1088549
• Journal Information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Vol. 280, Issue 1766; ISSN 0962-8452
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: ENGLISH