Prenylamine-induced contracture of frog skeletal muscle

1. Experiments were performed to determine the influence of prenylamine on excitation-contraction coupling in frog sartorius muscle. 2. Prenylamine (0.2-1.0 mM) produced a biphasic contracture in skeletal muscle characterized by an initial phasic and subsequent tonic contracture. 3. Neither dantrolene nor procaine blocked the prenylamine-induced contracture. Pretreatment with 100 mM K+ blocked the phasic but not the tonic component of the prenylamine contracture. 4. Prenylamine produced a sustained increase in 45Ca efflux at all concentrations that produce contracture. These concentrations of prenylamine also depressed the action potential, muscle twitch and resting potential. 5. Low concentrations of prenylamine (0.05 mM) which produced neither contracture, 45Ca efflux nor 45Ca influx, depressed the action potential, muscle twitch and K+ contracture. 6. The results suggest that prenylamine not only alters calcium mobility but also membrane permeability to other ions.