The dependence of isometric tension, isometric ATPase activity, and shortening velocity of limulus muscle on the MgATP concentration

The dependence of the isometric tension, the velocity of unloaded shortening, and the steady-state rate of MgATP hydrolysis on the MgATP concentration (range 0.01–5 mM MgATP) was studied in Ca-activated skinned Limulus muscle fibers. With increasing MgATP concentration the isometric tension increased to a peak at approximately 0.1 mM, and slightly decreased in the range up to 5 mM MgATP. The velocity of unloaded shortening depended on the MgATP concentration roughly according to the Michaelis-Menten law of saturation kinetics with a Michaelis-Menten constant Kv = 95 microM and a maximum shortening velocity of 0.07 muscle lengths s-1; the detachment rate of the cross-bridges during unloaded shortening was 24 s-1. The rate of MgATP splitting also depended hyperbolically on the MgATP concentration with a Michaelis-Menten constant Ka = 129 microM and a maximum turnover frequency of 0.5–1 s-1. The results are discussed in terms of a cross-bridge model based on a biochemical scheme of ATP hydrolysis by actin and myosin in solution.