Velocity, force, power, and Ca2+ sensitivity of fast and slow monkey skeletal muscle fibers

In this study,we determined the contractile properties of single chemically skinnedfibers prepared from the medial gastrocnemius (MG) and soleus (Sol)muscles of adult male rhesus monkeys and assessed the effects of thespaceflight living facility known as the experiment support primatefacility (ESOP). Muscle biopsies were obtained 4 wk before andimmediately after an 18-day ESOP sit, and fiber type was determined byimmunohistochemical techniques. The MG slow type I fiber wassignificantly smaller than the MG type II, Sol type I, and Sol type IIfibers. The ESOP sit caused a significant reduction in the diameter oftype I and type I/II (hybrid) fibers of Sol and MG type II and hybridfibers but no shift in fiber type distribution. Single-fiber peak force(mN and kN/m²) was similarbetween fiber types and was not significantly different from valuespreviously reported for other species. The ESOP sit significantlyreduced the force (mN) of Sol type I and MG type II fibers. Thisdecline was entirely explained by the atrophy of these fiber typesbecause the force per cross-sectional area (kN/m²) was not altered. Peakpower of Sol and MG fast type II fiber was 5 and 8.5 times that of slowtype I fiber, respectively. The ESOP sit reduced peak power by 25 and18% in Sol type I and MG type II fibers, respectively, and, for theformer fiber type, shifted the force-pCa relationship to the right,increasing the Ca²⁺ activationthreshold and the free Ca²⁺concentration, eliciting half-maximal activation. The ESOP sit had noeffect on the maximal shortening velocity(V_o) of anyfiber type. V_o ofthe hybrid fibers was only slightly higher than that of slow type Ifibers. This result supports the hypothesis that in hybrid fibers theslow myosin heavy chain would be expected to have a disproportionatelygreater influence onV_o.