Sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium release in frog skeletal muscle fibres estimated from Arsenazo III calcium transients.

Single twitch fibres, dissected from frog muscle, were injected with the metallochromic dye Arsenazo III. Changes in dye-related absorbance measured at 650 or 660 nm were used to estimate the time course of myoplasmic free [Ca2+] following either action potential stimulation or voltage-clamp depolarization (temperature, 15-17 degrees C). The amplitude of the Ca2+ transient decreased when fibres were stretched to sarcomere spacings approaching 4 microns. The effect appeared to be less marked in H2O Ringer than in D2O Ringer, where a reduction of about 40% was observed in going from 3.0 microns to 3.7-3.9 microns. In fibres heavily injected with dye (1.5-2.2 mM-dye) at least 0.1 mM-Ca2+ was complexed with Arsenazo III following a single action potential, implying that at least 0.1 mM-Ca2+ was released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (s.r.) into the myoplasm. Computer simulations were carried out to estimate the flux of Ca2+ between the s.r. and myoplasm (in fibres containing no more that 0.8 mM-dye). The amounts and time courses of Ca2+ bound to the Ca2+-regulatory sites on troponin and to the Ca2+, Mg2+ sites on parvalbumin were estimated from the free [Ca2+] wave form and the law of mass action. In the computations the total myoplasmic [Ca2+] was taken as the total amount of Ca2+ existing either as free ion or as ion complexed with dye, troponin or parvalbumin. The time derivative of total myoplasmic [Ca2+] was used as an estimate of net Ca2+ flux (release minus uptake) from the s.r. into myoplasm. Rate constants for formation of cation: receptor complex were taken from published values. For the Ca2+-regulatory sites on troponin, three sets of rate constants, corresponding to two values of dissociation constant (0.2 and 2 microM) were used. Each set of three simulations was carried out both with and without parvalbumin. The simulations show that following action potential stimulation, 0.2-0.3 mM-Ca2+ enters the myoplasm from the s.r. The wave form of s.r. Ca2+ release is early and brief compared with the wave form of free [Ca2+]. Neither the selection of troponin rate constants nor the inclusion of parvalbumin has much effect on the shape of the release wave form; the main effect of varying these parameters is to change the magnitude. After the initial, rapid phase of Ca2+ release from the s.r. there is a longer, maintained period of Ca2+ uptake.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)