Abstract-The effect of MgADP on the sarcomere length (SL) dependence of tension generation was investigated using skinned rat ventricular trabeculae. Increasing SL from 1.9 to 2.3 m decreased the muscle width by Ϸ11% and shifted the midpoint of the pCa-tension relationship (pCa 50 ) leftward by about 0.2 pCa units. MgADP (0.1, 1, and 5 mmol/L) augmented maximal and submaximal Ca 2ϩ -activated tension and concomitantly diminished the SL-dependent shift of pCa 50 in a concentration-dependent manner. In contrast, pimobendan, a Ca 2ϩ sensitizer, which promotes Ca 2ϩ binding to troponin C (TnC), exhibited no effect on the SL-dependent shift of pCa 50 , suggesting that TnC does not participate in the modulation of SL-dependent tension generation by MgADP. At a SL of 1.9 m, osmotic compression, produced by 5% wt/vol dextran (molecular weight Ϸ464 000), reduced the muscle width by Ϸ13% and shifted pCa 50 leftward to a similar degree as that observed when increasing SL to 2.3 m. This favors the idea that a decrease in the interfilament lattice spacing is the primary mechanism for SL-dependent tension generation. MgADP (5 mmol/L) markedly attenuated the dextran-induced shift of pCa 50 , and the degree of attenuation was similar to that observed in a study of varying SL. The actomyosin-ADP complex (AM.ADP) induced by exogenous MgADP has been reported to cooperatively promote myosin attachment to the thin filament. We hereby conclude that the increase in the number of force-generating crossbridges on a decrease in the lattice spacing is masked by the cooperative effect of AM.ADP, resulting in depressed SL-dependent tension generation. The full text of this article is available at http://www.circresaha.org. This intrinsic ability of the heart to alter cardiac output forms the basis for the Frank-Starling law of the heart. It is well established that twitch tension and Ca 2ϩ responsiveness in cardiac muscle preparations are enhanced as muscle length (ie, sarcomere length [SL]) is increased within the normal physiological range (SL from Ϸ1.8 to Ϸ2.3 m). 1-5 Although a number of studies have been conducted to account for the SL dependence of tension generation in living myocardium, its mechanism has not been completely elucidated. 6 However, at the myofilament level, there is an increasing amount of evidence suggesting that the SL dependence is primarily due to a change in the interfilament lattice spacing that accompanies the SL change. 7-9 A possible consequence of the decreased lattice spacing is an increase in the probability of myosin attachment to the thin filament, resulting in an increase in the number of force-generating crossbridges. 7,10,11 Ishiwata and Oosawa 12 proposed a model based on the Ca 2ϩ -dependent flexibility of the thin filament, in which they assumed that (1) the muscle volume (ie, the lattice volume) remains constant on a change in SL and that (2) there is a critical distance between the thick and thin filaments for tension generation. This model quantitatively explains both the stretch-induced increas...