HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 538/1/185    most recent 2001.012872v1 Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bakker, A. J. Articles by Berg, H. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bakker, A. J. Articles by Berg, H. M.

Effect of taurine on sarcoplasmic reticulum function and force in skinned fast-twitch skeletal muscle fibres of the rat

Anthony J. Bakker and Helen M. Berg

We examined the effect of taurine on depolarisation-induced force responses and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) function in mechanically skinned skeletal muscle fibres from the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) of the rat. Taurine (20 mM) produced a small but significant (P < 0.01) decrease in the sensitivity of the contractile apparatus to Ca²⁺ (increase in the [Ca²⁺] corresponding to 50 % of maximum force of about 7 %; n = 10) and in maximum force (92.0 ± 1.0 % of controls) in the skinned fibres. Taurine had no statistically significant effect on the slope of the force-pCa curve. Depolarisation-induced force responses in the skinned fibres were markedly increased in peak value by 20 mM taurine, to 120.8 ± 5.3 % of control measurements (P = 0.0006, n = 27). Taurine (20 mM) significantly increased the SR Ca²⁺ accumulation in the skinned fibres by 34.6 ± 9.3 % compared to control conditions (measured by comparing the integral of caffeine contractures in fibres previously loaded with Ca²⁺ in the absence or presence of taurine; P = 0.0014, n = 10). Taurine (20 mM) also increased both the peak and rate of rise of caffeine-induced force responses in the fibres by 29.2 ± 9.7 % (P = 0.0298, n = 6) and 27.6 ± 8.9 % (P = 0.037), respectively, compared with controls. This study shows that taurine is a modulator of contractile function in mammalian skeletal muscle. Taurine may increase the size of depolarisation-induced force responses by augmenting SR Ca²⁺ accumulation and release.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. Han, T. Suizu, M. D. Grounds, and A. J. Bakker Effect of indomethacin on force responses and sarcoplasmic reticulum function in skinned skeletal muscle fibers and cytosolic [Ca2+] in myotubes Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, October 1, 2003; 285(4): C881 - C890. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. Ortenblad, J. F. Young, N. Oksbjerg, J. H. Nielsen, and I. H. Lambert Reactive oxygen species are important mediators of taurine release from skeletal muscle cells Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, June 1, 2003; 284(6): C1362 - C1373. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]