Ch 12 - Skeletal Muscle Flashcards
Why is the bicep an example of a flexor muscle?
- Flexor muscles decrease the joint angle when contracted. So when the bicep contracts…like during a curl, the angle of the arm is decreased.
Why are the quads considered an extensor muscle?
- Extensor muscles “extend” the joint angle upon contraction. So when flexing the quads, or doing the quad machine lift at the gym…the angle of the knee joint is increased.
What is the outer most sheath of an entire muscle referred to as?
Epimysium
What are the large subdivisions within the epimysium that house many muscle fibers?
Fascicles
What is the layer of tissue sheath surrounding each fascicle?
Perimysium
Each fascicle is further broken down into many [] cells. These cells are surrounded by their own plasma membrane, referred to as []
Myofibers
Sarcolemma
The sarcolemma (and thus the single myofiber) is enveloped by what tissue layer?
The Endomysium
Muscle fibers fo not pull out of the tendons for what reason?
The tissue layers of the tendon, epimysium, perimysium, endomysium are all continuous.
What do muscles have a striated appearance?
- The striations are caused by light and dark bands
- Light bands are termed - I bands
- Dark bands are termed- A bands
What are the thin “dark” bands that can be seen in the center of the I bands?
Z bands
The specialized region of the sarcolemma of the muscle fiber at teh neuromuscular junction is known as…[]
Motor end plate
T/F
A motor neuron is each somatic motor neuron, together with all of the muscle fibers that it innervates?
False
That is the motor unit
Normally small motor units (innervating a few muscle fibers) are needed for normal movemtns; however, what occurs when a muscle must use larger and larger motor units to produce a strogner contraction?
Motor Unit Recruitment
A sarcomere consists of what? (From Z-band to Z-band)
It is a subunit of the striated muscle. It contains the I -band, A band, and H Band.
What are the even smaller structure within the myofibers called?
Myofilaments
- Myofilaments are composed of two types of filaments.
- What 2 types?
- How do these 2 types effect the striation pattern of a myofiber?
- 2 types
- Thick filament - myosin
- Thin FIlament - actin
- The thick filament gives the fiber its dark color - so these are in the A band. The thin filament gives the fiber its lighter color - so these are in the I band
Why is the central portion of the A band lighter than the outer edges of the A band?
The central portion of the A band is lighter becuase it only contains thick filaments. Whereas the outer edges of the A band have the edges of the thick and thin filaments converging…making it darker.
Where in a sarcomere is the M-Line?
- It is located in the center of the A band, Or in the center of the thick filaments.
- It helps anchor the thick filaments, helping them stay together during a contraction.
- What is the largest protein in the body?
- Where is it located? What does it do?
- Titin - located in the sarcomeres
- It connects to the I-band with a thick springlike structure, and then a longer thin portion runs all the way to the M-Line.
- Becuase of this structure - it contributes to the elastic recoil of muscles that help them return to their resting lengths when relaxed
During a muscle contraction:
A bands shorten?
I Bands shorten?
H Bands shorten?
- Only the I bands shorten during a muscle contraction. The A- band filaments merely move closer together.
- The H bands also shorten! Since the tin filaments are pulled over the thick filaments
Which protein are “cross bridges” a part of?
Myosin
The globular head attached to myosin is known as what enzyme? What does it do?
- myosin ATPase
- It splits ATP into ADP + Pi
What 2 processes must first happen before the myosin can attach to actin?
- ATP –> ADP + Pi
- Pi must then bind to the myosin head, putting the head in the “cocked” position.
What process performs a “power stroke” within a myofiber?
- The myosin head is in the cocked position, and then binds with actin.
- Once bound to actin, the Pi is released causing a conformational change in the myosin head.
- This conformational change causes the power stroke
What process is the force that pulls the thin filaments toward the center of the A band?
The power stroke
What must occur for the myosin head to dettach from the actin, post power stroke?
- After power stroke the myosin head is in the flexed position
- The ADP must release and be replaced with ATP
Splitting of [] is required before a cross bridge can attach to actin
Attachemtn of new [] is needed for the cross brdige to release from actin
ATP (for both)
Is the pulling of myosin/actin power strokes synchronous or asynchronous?
Asynchronous
Which protein rests between the groove of the two actin helical molecules? And usually spans 7 actin subunits.
Tropomyosin
Which protein is bound directly to tropomyosin, instead of actin? And has 3 subunits?
Troponin
Troponin has 3 subunits, what are they and what are their functions?
- Troponin I - inhibits binding of the cross bridges to actin
- Troponin T - binds to tropomyosin
- Troponin C - binds to Ca2+
How must tropomyosin interact with Ca2+ in order for the cross bridges to attach to actin?
Tropomyosin does not interact with Ca2+….troponin does this.
Is the concentration of Ca2+ low or high in the sarcoplasm during contraction?
High
The [] is a modified endoplasmic reticulum, consisting of interconnected sacs and tubes that surround each myofibril within the muscle cell.
Sarcoplastic Reticulum
T/F?
Calcium release channels move calcium into the sarocplastic reticulum from the T-Tubules via active transport?
False
Calcium release channels release calcium, via passive diffusion, out of the sarcoplastic retiuculum and into the cytoplasm of the myofiber
Which narrow membranous “tunnels” are formed from and continuous with the sarcolemma?
Transverse Tubules (T-Tubules)
The transverse tubules are open to the [] environment and are able to conduct {}?
Extracellular environment
Action potentials.
T/F
The Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels have a direct coupling between the calcium release channels in the sarcoplasmic reticulum?
True