Biochemistry 4th Edition by Reginald Garrett, Charles Grisham

Exercise 4

Understanding the biochemistry of rigor mortis
Rigor is a muscle condition in which muscle fibers, depleted of ATP and phosphocreatine, develop a state of extreme rigidity and cannot be easily extended. (In death, this state is called rigor mortis, the rigor of death.) From what you have learned about muscle contraction, explain the state of rigor in molecular terms.