Myofibrillar end of the creatine phosphate energy shuttle

Abstract

Isometric contraction and relaxation of glycerinated rabbit psoas muscle fibers containing native creatine kinase (CK) and ATPase activities were studied. Energy for contraction and relaxation was provided either by ADP + creatine phosphate (CP) or ATP alone, and the effectiveness of these additions on rate and maximum force of contraction and relaxation were compared. In the presence of 250 microM ADP, physiological concentration of CP (10 mM) produced faster and stronger contraction and faster and more complete relaxation than equimolar or even higher concentrations of ATP. When contraction was initiated by addition of ADP to fibers preincubated with 10 mM CP, the apparent Km for ADP was 1.18 +/- 0.24 mM. If the fibers were preincubated with ADP and contraction initiated by addition of 10 mM CP, the apparent Km for ADP was more than an order of magnitude smaller (76.0 +/- 4 microM). The observed Km for ADP for contraction was about half the Km for CP in solution (151.5 microM). The apparent Km for CP for rate of contraction was 2.67 +/- .046 mM independent of sequence of addition of ADP. Since these experiments were done in the presence of P1,P5-diadenosine 5'-pentaphosphate, a powerful inhibitor of adenylate kinase, the role of this enzyme in the process was not significant. These observations support the idea of compartmentation of myofibrillar CK in close function with myosin ATPase as part of the phosphoryl creatine energy shuttle.