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Journal of Experimental Biology 144,437-448 (1989)
Published by Company of Biologists 1989

Temperature and the Force-Velocity Relationship of Live Muscle Fibres from the Teleost Myoxocephalus Scorpius

KAREN S. LANGFELD ¹, JOHN D. ALTRINGHAM ², and IAN A. JOHNSTON ¹

¹ Gatty Marine Laboratory, Department of Biology and Preclinical Medicine, St Andrews University, St Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB, Scotland
² Gatty Marine Laboratory, Department of Biology and Preclinical Medicine, St Andrews University St Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB, Scotland

Small bundles of fast fibres were isolated from the myotomal muscle of the teleost Myoxocephalus scorpius. The temperature-dependence of isometric contractile properties and the force-velocity (P-V) relationship were studied. Fibres were found to deteriorate above 18°C, and the force plateau during tetanic stimulation was not maintained above 15°C. Twitch and tetanic tension (P₀) showed optima at around 8°C. Force-velocity curves were fitted using either Hill's hyperbolic equation or a hyperbolic-linear equation (hyp-lin). The best fit to the data was provided by the hyp-lin equation, which gave consistently higher values for unloaded contraction velocity (V_max): 4.3, 8.1 and 9.5 muscle lengths s^-1 at 1, 8 and 12°C, respectively. The P-V relationship was found to become progressively more curved at higher temperatures. Muscle power output calculated from the hyp-lin equation was 123 W kg^-1 at 1°C and 256 W kg^-1 at 8°C. Curves normalized for P₀ and Vmax at each temperature show that the change in curvature is sufficient to increase the relative power output of the muscle by around 15% on decreasing the temperature from 8 to 1°C.

Key words: muscle, fast twitch, force-velocity, temperature, teleost

Accepted on March 21, 1989

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