The relation between myosin adenosinetriphosphatase activity and inactivation of myosin under alkaline conditions of heart muscles in mammals of different size.

ATPase activity of myosin in the heart muscle of the mouse, rat, guinea-pig, rabbit and pig was studied at neutral pH and under mild alkaline conditions. At neutral pH the ATPase activity of myosin is inversely related to body size of the animal species. The decrease of ATPase activity of myosin after alkaline preincubation depends on the degree of ATPase activity of intact myosin, i.e. myosin from the heart of the mouse exhibits high ATPase activity ae same relationship was found, when comparing myosin of new-born and adult heart muscle. It is concluded that the rate of alkaline inactivation of heart myosin is directly related to the degree of ATPase activity of intact myosin in all animals.