Phase transition in force during ramp stretches of skeletal muscle

Active glycerinated rabbit psoas fibers were stretched at constant velocity (0.1-3.0 lengths/s) under sarcomere length control. As observed by previous investigators, force rose in two phases: an initial rapid increase over a small stretch (phase I), and a slower, more modest rise over the remainder of the stretch (phase II). The transition between the two phases occurred at a critical stretch (LC) of 7.7 +/- 0.1 nm/half-sarcomere that is independent of velocity. The force at critical stretch (PC) increased with velocity up to 1 length/s, then was constant at 3.26 +/- 0.06 times isometric force. The decay of the force response to a small step stretch was much faster during stretch than in isometric fibers. The addition of 3 mM vanadate reduced isometric tension to 0.08 +/- 0.01 times control isometric tension (P0), but only reduced PC to 0.82 +/- 0.06 times P0, demonstrating that prepowerstroke states contribute to force rise during stretch. The data can be explained by a model in which actin-attached cross-bridges in a prepowerstroke state are stretched into regions of high force and detach very rapidly when stretched beyond this region. The prepowerstroke state acts as a mechanical rectifier, producing large forces during stretch but small forces during shortening.