CH10 Flashcards
what does motion result from?
the alternating contraction and relaxation of muscles, which make up 40–50% of total adult body weight
what is the primary function of muscles?
the transformation of chemical energy into mechanical energy to generate force, perform work, and produce movement
what is myology?
the scientific study of muscles
how can the activity of skeletal muscles be consciously controlled?
by neurons (nerve cells) that are part of the somatic (voluntary) division of the nervous system
what is autorhythmicity?
The ability to repeatedly generate spontaneous nerve impulses
how do muscular tissues produce body movements?
Movements of the whole body such as walking and running, and localized movements such as grasping a pencil, keyboarding, or nodding the head rely on the integrated functioning of skeletal muscles, bones, and joints
how do muscular tissues stabilize body positions?
- Skeletal muscle contractions stabilize joints and help maintain body positions, such as standing or sitting
- Postural muscles contract continuously when you are awake (ex. sustained contractions of your neck muscles hold your head upright)
how do muscular tissues store and move substances within the body?
- sphincters prevent outflow of the contents of a hollow organ
- Cardiac muscle contractions in the wall of the heart pump blood through the blood vessels of the body, contraction and relaxation adjust blood vessel diameter and regulate blood flow rate
- Smooth muscle contractions move food and substances through digestive canal via peristalsis
- Skeletal muscle contractions promote the flow of lymph plasma and aid the return of blood in veins to the heart
how do muscular tissues generate heat?
thermogenesis, muscular tissue generate heat as they contract
- involuntary contractions of skeletal muscles (shivering) increases rate of heat production
what are the special properties muscular tissues have that enable it to function and contribute to homeostasis?
- electrical excitability
- contractility
- extensibility
- elasticity
what is electrical excitability?
the ability to respond to certain stimuli by producing electrical signals called action potentials
what main types of stimuli trigger muscle action potentials?
- autorhythmic electrical signals arising in the muscular tissue itself, as in the heart’s natural pacemaker
- chemical stimuli, such as neurotransmitters released by neurons, hormones distributed by the blood, or even local changes in pH
what is contractility?
- the ability of muscular tissue to contract forcefully when stimulated by a nerve impulse.
- skeletal muscle generates tension when pulling on its attachment points when it contracts
what is extensibility?
- the ability of muscular tissue to stretch, within limits, without being damaged
what is the function of connective tissue within the muscles?
- limits the range of extensibility and keeps muscles within the contractile range of the muscle cells
- surrounds and protects muscular tissue
what is elasticity?
the ability of muscular tissue to return to its original length and shape after contraction or extension
what are myocytes?
muscle fibers, composed the skeletal muscles
what does skeletal muscle consist of?
- myocytes (muscle fibers)
- connective tissue
- blood vessels
- nerves
what is the function of subcutaneous tissue in context of muscles?
- separates muscle from skin
- provides a pathway for nerves, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels to enter and exit muscles
- protects muscles from physical trauma due to adipose tissue
what are fascia?
dense sheets or broad bands of irregular connective tissue that line the body wall and limbs and support and surround muscles and other organs of the body
what is the function of fascia?
- holds muscles with similar functions together
- allows free movement of muscles
- carries nerves, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels
- fills spaces between muscles
what are the layers of connective tissue that extend from the fascia to protect and lengthen skeletal muscles?
- epimysium
- perimysium
- endomysium
what is the epimysium?
the outer layer, encircling the entire muscle
- consists of dense irregular connective tissue
what is the perimysium?
a layer of dense irregular connective tissue, but it surrounds groups of 10 to 100 or more muscle fibers, separating them into bundles called muscle fascicles
what are muscle fascicles?
groups of 10-100 or more muscle fibres surrounded by perimysium
what is fibromyalgia?
a chronic, painful, nonarticular rheumatic disorder that affects the fibrous connective tissue components of muscles, tendons, and ligaments
- pain that results from gentle pressure at specific “tender points”, severe fatigue, poor sleep, headaches, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, and inability to carry out their daily activities, pain, tenderness, and stiffness of muscles, tendons, and surrounding soft tissues
- treatment: stress reduction, regular exercise, application of heat, gentle massage, physical therapy, medication for pain, and a low-dose antidepressant to help improve sleep
what is endomysium?
Invagination of the perimysium separating each individual muscle fiber, mostly reticular fibres
what is a tendon?
A white fibrous cord of dense regular connective tissue that attaches muscle to bone
what is an aponeurosis?
A sheetlike tendon joining one muscle with another or with bone, broad flat sheet
what are somatic motor neurons?
neurons that stimulate skeletal muscle to contract
why are blood capillaries plentiful in muscular tissue?
- bring in oxygen and nutrients and remove heat and the waste products of muscle metabolism
- muscle fiber synthesizes and uses considerable ATP, which requires oxygen, glucose, fatty acids, and other substances to be delivered to muscle fiber
what are myoblasts?
mesodermal cells that fuse into skeletal muscle fibers during embryonic development
when do muscle fibers lose their ability to undergo cell division?
when fusion of the myoblasts occurs
what is the sarcolemma?
the plasma membrane of a muscle fiber
what are transverse tubules?
tiny tube-shaped invaginations of the sarcolemma that tunnel in from the surface toward the center of each muscle fiber
why are transverse tubules filled with interstitial fluid?
T tubules are open to the outside of the fiber
what is the function of transverse tubules?
- muscle action potentials travel along the sarcolemma and through the T tubules, quickly spreading throughout the muscle fiber
- ensures that an action potential excites all parts of the muscle fiber at essentially the same instant
what is the sarcoplasm?
the cytoplasm of a muscle fiber
- includes substantial amount of glycogen and myoglobin
what is myoglobin?
red-coloured, iron-containing protein found only in sarcoplasm of muscles
- binds oxygen molecules that diffuse into muscle fibers from interstitial fluid
- releases oxygen when it is needed by the mitochondria for ATP production
where are mitochondria placed in muscle fibers?
mitochondria lie in rows throughout the muscle fiber, strategically close to the contractile muscle proteins that use ATP during contraction so that ATP can be produced quickly as needed
what is muscular hypertrophy?
enlargement of existing muscle fibers
- due to increased production of myofibrils, mitochondria, sarcoplasmic reticulum, and other organelles
- results from very forceful, repetitive muscular activity, such as strength training
- capable of more forceful contractions
- growth hormone, testosterone promotes enlargement of skeletal muscle fibers
what are satellite cells?
myoblasts that persist in mature skeletal cells
- retain the capacity to fuse with one another or with damaged muscle fibers to regenerate functional muscle fibers
what is fibrosis in muscular tissue?
the replacement of muscle fibers by fibrous scar tissue when the number of new skeletal muscle fibers that can be formed by satellite cells is not enough to compensate for significant skeletal muscle damage or degeneration
what is muscular atrophy?
a decrease in size of individual muscle fibers because of progressive loss of myofibrils
what is disuse atrophy?
Atrophy that occurs because muscles are not used
what is denervation atrophy?
muscle decreases in size as nerve supply is disrupted or cut
- Over a period of 6 months to 2 years, the muscle shrinks to about one-fourth its original size, and its fibers are irreversibly replaced by fibrous connective tissue
Which structure in muscle fibers release calcium ions to trigger muscle contraction?
the sarcoplasmic reticulum
what are myofibrils?
the contractile organelles of skeletal muscle
- their prominent striations make the entire skeletal muscle fiber appear striated
- are about 2 µm in diameter and extend the entire length of a muscle fiber
what is the sarcoplasmic reticulum?
fluid-filled system of membranous sacs that encircles each myofibril
what are terminal cisternae?
Dilated end sacs of the sarcoplasmic reticulum that butt against a transverse tubule from both sides
what is a triad in muscle fibers?
terminal cistern | T tubule | terminal cistern
what is the function of the sarcoplasmic reticulum?
- release of Ca2+ from the terminal cisterns of the sarcoplasmic reticulum triggers muscle contraction
- the sarcoplasmic reticulum stores Ca2+ in a relaxed muscle fiber
what are myofilaments?
smaller protein structures within myofibrils
what proteins are thin filaments composed of?
actin
what proteins are thick filaments composed of?
myosin
what are sarcomeres?
the basic contractile unit in a striated muscle fiber extending from one Z disc to the next Z disc
what are Z discs?
Narrow, plate-shaped regions of dense protein material that separate one sarcomere from the next
what is the A band of a sarcomere?
- darker middle part of the sarcomere
- extends the entire length of the thick filaments
what is the zone of overlap in sarcomeres?
where the thick and thin filaments lie side by side, found towards each end of the A band
what is the I band in sarcomeres?
a lighter, less dense area that contains the rest of the thin filaments but no thick filaments
- a Z disc passes through the center of each I band
what creates the striations that can be seen in both myofibrils and in whole skeletal and cardiac muscle fibers?
The alternating dark A bands and light I bands`
what is the H band in sarcomeres?
a narrow band in the center of each A band contains thick but not thin filaments
what is the M line in sarcomeres?
center of H band where supporting proteins that hold the thick filaments together are found
what kinds of proteins are myofibrils made of?
- contractile proteins
- regulatory proteins
- structural proteins
what do the contractile proteins do in myofibrils?
generate force during contraction
what do the regulatory proteins do in myofibrils?
help switch the contraction process on and off
what do the structural proteins do in myofibrils?
- keep the thick and thin filaments in the proper alignment
- give the myofibril elasticity and extensibility
- link the myofibrils to the sarcolemma and extracellular matrix
what is myosin?
a contractile protein, the main component of thick filaments and functions as a motor protein in all three types of muscle tissue
what are motor proteins?
Motor proteins pull various cellular structures to achieve movement by converting the chemical energy in ATP to the mechanical energy of motion, that is, the production of force
what are the binding sites that are found on a myosin head?
- actin-binding site
- ATP-binding site
what enzyme does the ATP-binding site of the myosin function as?
ATPase, hydrolyzes/catabolizes ATP to generate energy for muscle contraction
what is actin?
A contractile protein that is part of thin filaments in muscle fibers
Which proteins connect into the Z disc? Which proteins are present in the A band? In the I band?
Z disc - Actin and titin
A bands - myosin, actin, troponin, tropomyosin, and titin
I bands - actin, troponin, tropomyosin, and titin
what is the function of tropomyosin?
regulatory protein, covers the myosin-binding sites on actin, blocking myosin from binding to actin in relaxed muscles
what is the function of troponin?
holds tropomyosin strands in place
- undergoes conformational change when it binds to Ca2+, moving tropomyosin away from the myosin-binding sites on actin
what is the function of structural proteins?
contribute to the alignment, stability, elasticity, and extensibility of myofibrils
what are some of the key structural proteins in myofibrils?
- titin
- α-actinin
- myomesin
- nebulin
- dystrophin
what is the function of titin?
connects a Z disc to the M line of the sarcomere, thereby helping stabilize the position of the thick filament
- accounts for much of the elasticity and extensibility of myofibrils
- helps the sarcomere return to its resting length after a muscle has contracted or been stretched
- may help prevent overextension of sarcomeres
- maintains the central location of the A bands
what is the function of α-actinin?
binds to actin molecules of the thin filament and to titin
what is the function of myomesin?
forms the M line, binds to titin and connect adjacent thick filaments to one another
- myomesin holds the thick filaments in alignment at the M line
what is the function of nebulin?
long, nonelastic protein wrapped around the entire length of each thin filament
- helps anchor the thin filaments to the Z discs and regulates the length of thin filaments during development
what is the function of dystrophin?
- links thin filaments of the sarcomere to integral membrane proteins of the sarcolemma, which are attached to proteins in the connective tissue extracellular matrix that surrounds muscle fibers
- thought to reinforce the sarcolemma and help transmit the tension generated by the sarcomeres to the tendons
what is the sliding filament mechanism?
skeletal muscle shortens during contraction because the thick and thin filaments slide past one another
how does muscle contraction occur according to the sliding filament mechanism?
- myosin heads attach to and “walk” along the thin filaments at both ends of a sarcomere, progressively pulling the thin filaments toward the M line
- the thin filaments slide inward and meet at the center of a sarcomere
- As the thin filaments slide inward, the I band and H zone narrow and eventually disappear altogether when the muscle is maximally contracted
- the width of the A band and the individual lengths of the thick and thin filaments remain unchanged - Since the thin filaments on each side of the sarcomere are attached to Z discs, when the thin filaments slide inward, the Z discs come closer together, and the sarcomere shortens
- Shortening of the sarcomeres causes shortening of the whole muscle fiber, which in turn leads to shortening of the entire muscle
What happens to the I band and H zone as muscle contracts? Do the lengths of the thick and thin filaments change?
The I bands and H zones disappear during muscle contraction; the lengths of the thin and thick filaments do not change
What are the steps of the contraction style?
- ATP hydrolysis
- Attachment of myosin to actin
- Power stroke
- Detachment of myosin from actin
when does the contraction cycle begin?
when troponin, upon Ca2+ binds to it, moves tropomyosin away from the myosin-binding sites on actin and freeing them
what happens in ATP hydrolysis of the contraction cycle?
- ATP that binds to ATP-binding site of myosin is hydrolyzed into ADP and Pi, energy generated is stoted in the myosin head for later use
- the energized myosin head is “cocked” like a stretched spring (perpendicular to the thick and thin filaments, the proper orientation to bind to an actin molecule)
- ADP and Pi are still attached to myosin head
what happens in the “attachment of myosin to actin” step of the contraction cycle?
energized myosin head attaches to the myosin-binding site on actin and releases Pi
how much actin molecules can bind to one myosin molecule?
only one, each myosin only has one actin-binding site
what is a cross-bridge?
myosin head is attached to an actin molecule
what happens in the “power stroke” step of the contraction cycle?
- myosin head pivots, changing its position from a 90° angle to a 45° angle relative to the thick and thin filaments
- power stroke occurs: as the myosin head changes to its new position, it pulls the thin filament past the thick filament toward the center of the sarcomere, generating tension
- ADP is released from the myosin head
what happens in the “detachment of myosin from actin” step of the contraction cycle?
- cross-bridge remains firmly attached to actin until it binds to another ATP
- myosin head detaches from actin as ATP binds
What would happen if ATP suddenly were not available after the sarcomere had started to shorten?
If ATP were not available, the cross-bridges would not be able to detach from actin. The muscles would remain in a state of rigidity, as occurs in rigor mortis.
what is excitation-contraction coupling?
The sequence of events that links excitation (a muscle action potential) to contraction (sliding of the filaments) that occurs at the triads of the skeletal muscle fiber
where are voltage-gated Ca2+ channels located on a triad?
on the T tubule membrane, arranged in tetrads