Transient Phases of the Isometric Tetanus in Frog's Striated Muscle

In an isometric tetanus in frog's sartorius muscle tension approaches the plateau exponentially with rate constant alpha. alpha a depends on sarcomere length, s, and temperature, T, according to the Arrhenius equation See PDF for Equation for temperatures between 1 and 20 degrees C and for sarcomere lengths 2.0-2.8 microm. The energy of activation, E, does not vary significantly with s; E = 13.9 +/- 2.4 kcal/mole. A(s) decreases monotonically with s; A(2.1 microm) is about three times greater than A(2.8 microm). Late in relaxation active tension approaches zero exponentially with rate constant r. r decreases exponentially with increasing duration of tetanus, D, from r(0) in a twitch to r(infinity) for large D. The rate constant for decrease of r with D increases with s and with T. r(0) and r(infinity) obey the Arrhenius equation and decrease with increasing s.