[Myoplasmic fixed charges of the barnacle muscle fiber (author's transl)]

The experimental model used to study diffusion and electrical conduction in the cytoplasm of large muscle fibers was adapted to evaluate the myoplasmic density of fixed charges. Membranes of myoplasm were prepared and phi X, the myoplasmic thermodynamically effective charge density, was calculated from the membrane potential (Kamo, N., Toyoshima, Y. and Kobatake, Y. (1971) Kolloid Z.u.Z. Polymère 1061--1068) when these membranes were used as the partition between two electrolyte solutions. The dilution of KCl in the external solutions reduced phi X, which increases with the reduction of the water content in the membrane of myoplasm. With a water content of 73.0 ml/100 g KCl concentration in the external medium equal to 0.15 M, phi X was evaluated to 0.058 equiv/l. The substitution of KCl by NaCl introduces a reduction in phi X of 20--50% depending on E1KCl] in the external solutions. The addition of ATP, Mg2+, and Ca2+ also causes a reduction of phi B by 30--50% according to the experimental conditions. These results indicate that the fraction of counterions dissociated from the myoplasmic macromolecules is reduced when the concentration of the counterions is diminished or when CKl is replaced by Nal. It also suggests a reduction of phi X during muscular contraction.