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Letters to Nature
Nature 223, 63-64 (5 July 1969) | doi:10.1038/223063b0
Molecular Nature of the Heat of Shortening of Muscle
R. A. CHAPLAIN
- Department of Bioengineering, Technisches Hochschule Otto von Guericke, Magdeburg.
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Abstract
SHORTENING of muscle during single isotonic twitches and following a tetanic stimulus is accompanied by the development of extra heat1–3. The heat of shortening varies with the distance shortened and depends also on the load lifted by the muscle4. Although it is generally agreed that the heat developed during work done by the muscle can be accounted for by the energy of ATP splitting5,6, there appears to be no evidence of changes in the high-energy phosphate level accompanying the actual shortening7,8.
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