Molecular motors convert chemical energy into mechanical movement, generating forces necessary to accomplish an array of cellular functions. Since molecular motors generate force, they typically work under loaded conditions where the motor mechanochemistry is altered by the presence of a load. Several biophysical techniques have been developed to study the loaded behavior and force generating capabilities of molecular motors yet most of these techniques require specialized equipment. The frictional loading assay is a modification to the in vitro motility assay that can be performed on a standard epifluorescence microscope, permitting the high-throughput measurement of the loaded mechanochemistry of molecular motors. Here, we describe a model for the molecular basis of the frictional loading assay by modeling the load as a series of either elastic or viscoelastic elements. The model, which calculates the frictional loads imposed by different binding proteins, permits the measurement of isotonic kinetics, force-velocity relationships, and power curves in the motility assay. We show computationally and experimentally that the frictional load imposed by alpha-actinin, the most widely employed actin binding protein in frictional loading experiments, behaves as a viscoelastic rather than purely elastic load. As a test of the model, we examined the frictional loading behavior of rabbit skeletal muscle myosin under normal and fatigue-like conditions using alpha-actinin as a load. We found that, consistent with fiber studies, fatigue-like conditions cause reductions in myosin isometric force, unloaded sliding velocity, maximal power output, and shift the load at which peak power output occurs. V C 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Key Words: alpha-actinin, isotonic, force-velocity relationship, power, skeletal muscle fatigue Introduction T he myosin family of molecular motors is a diverse superfamily of actin binding proteins (ABP) that convert the energy from ATP hydrolysis into motion and force in order to accomplish an array of cellular functions [for review, see Sellers, 2000;O'Connell et al., 2007]. The in vitro motility assay is a useful tool for studying the molecular basis of myosin-based movement under a variety of well controlled experimental conditions Tyska and Warshaw, 2002]. This technique permits the study of myosin mechanics while at the same time, retaining many of the features of solution biochemistry. In the in vitro motility assay, myosin is bound to a cover glass surface and a solution containing fluorescently labeled actin filaments is applied to the myosin surface in the presence of ATP, allowing for the measurement of actin filament movement via fluorescence microscopy [Kron and Spudich, 1986]. The typical motility assay measures the sliding velocity of myosin in the absence of an exogenously added load, providing important information on the actomyosin contractile mechanism. Under physiological conditions, however, myosins typically operate against a load, making it desirable to study myosin force generation...