[Kinetic characteristics of cross bridges in the heart muscles by a temperature jump method]

Experiments were performed on rat skinned trabecular muscles dissected from the right ventricles. They were activated (pCa = 5.9) at 10 C, 2.3 nm sarcomere length. The temperature jump induced the biexponential tension rise. The rate constant of the fast tension rise (k1) was 3-4.5 ms and that of the slow tension rise (k2) was about 15 ms. These values were slower (3 times) comparing with those of a single skeletal fibre. The discrepancy can be explained by different kinetic properties of heart and skeletal myosin or presents a well developed connection tissue (series elastic element) in the heart muscle.