Effect of calcium withdrawal on mechanical threshold in skeletal muscle fibres of the frog.

Abstract

Voltage-clamp experiments were performed on frog skeletal muscle fibers using 2 intracellular micro-electrodes. The threshold for the Na current and the strength-duration curve for mechanical threshold were determined. The change in threshold for the Na current was studied as a function of the external Ca and Mg concentrations which ranged from 0.1 to 50 mM. The resting potential, effective resistance and threshold for the Na current were unchanged when 1.8 mM-Ca was replaced by 3 mM-Mg, indicating that the surface potential and the electrical properties of the fibers were not modified. The addition of 5 mM-EGTA [ethylene glycol bis(.beta.-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N'',N''-tetraacetic acid] did not affect these parameters. In Ca-free saline (3 mM-Mg and 5 mM-EGTA) the mechanical threshold was significantly increased for short pulses (.ltoreq. 20 msec). In isolated single muscle fibers this effect was observed shortly after applying the Ca-free saline, and was rapidly reversed upon the return to control saline. In isotonic EGTA (85 mM-EGTA) the muscle fibers were depolarized and were unable to contract even if they were hyperpolarized to -90 mV for 12 min prior to stimulation. If 3 mM-Mg was added, most fibers contracted locally. In single muscle fibers, caffeine contractures were unmodified after a 30 min exposure to Ca-free saline. External Ca withdrawal impairs Ca release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum and external Ca is not essential for triggering contraction.