Critical sarcomere extension required to recruit a decaying component of extra force during stretch in tetanic contractions of frog skeletal muscle fibers

29 single frog skeletal muscle fibers were stretched during fused tetanic contractions. The force increase during stretch exhibited a breakpoint at a critical length change (average: 16.6 nm per one-half sarcomere) that was independent of velocity of stretch and of sarcomere length between 1.8 and 2.8 microns. After stretch there was an early decaying force component with a force-extension curve similar to that during stretch, which disappeared over approximately 2 s. This component was removed by a small, quick release, leaving a longer-lasting component. The critical amplitude of release required to produce this result was found by clamping the fiber to a load at which there was zero velocity of shortening. This amplitude increased with time up to the angle in the force record during stretch, was constant for the remainder of the stretch, and decreased with time after the end of stretch; it was consistently less than the critical amplitude of stretch required to reach the breakpoint of force enhancement during stretch but was also independent of sarcomere length. The force drop accompanying the critical release showed a small increase up to an optimum magnitude at 2.4--2.7 microns sarcomere length, with a decrease at longer lengths.