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. 1994 Jan 4;91(1):202-5.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.91.1.202.

Enhanced force generation by smooth muscle myosin in vitro

P VanBuren  1 , S S Work, D M Warshaw
Affiliations

Enhanced force generation by smooth muscle myosin in vitro

P VanBuren et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .

Abstract

To determine whether the apparent enhanced force-generating capabilities of smooth muscle relative to skeletal muscle are inherent to the myosin cross-bridge, the isometric steady-state force produced by myosin in the in vitro motility assay was measured. In this assay, myosin adhered to a glass surface pulls on an actin filament that is attached to an ultracompliant (50-200 nm/pN) glass microneedle. The number of myosin cross-bridge heads able to interact with a length of actin filament was estimated by measuring the density of biochemically active myosin adhered to the surface; with this estimate, the average force per cross-bridge head of smooth and skeletal muscle myosins is 0.6 pN and 0.2 pN, respectively. Surprisingly, smooth muscle myosin generates approximately three times greater average force per cross-bridge head than does skeletal muscle myosin.

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