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Abstract

High intensity pulsed light sources are currently being used in two major applications in muscle research. The first of these involves rapid photolytic release of metabolites, e.g. adenosine triphosphate or calcium ions, from inert, photosensitive precursors. This allows rapid kinetic experiments in muscle fibres which would otherwise be impossible because of the long diffusion times even of small molecules into the lattice of thick and thin filaments. Examples of the use of lasers and flash lamps for this purpose will be given, with particular emphasis on dynamic structural investigations using synchrotron radiation as a high intensity X-ray source for monitoring structural changes by low angle diffraction. The second application involves the use of solid state lasers to produce powerful light pulses in the infrared region to achieve temperature jumps in muscle fibres. This, in conjunction with the use of synchrotron radiation, allows the kinetics of interesting structural transitions in muscle fibres to be studied.