Histology: Muscular Tissue Flashcards
What is the purpose of muscle tissue?
- allow for movement of the organism
- allow for changes in the sizes and shapes of internal organs
What is muscle tissue characterised by?
aggregates of specialized elongated cells, arranged in parallel array (having the primary role of contraction).
What is the primary purpose of specialized muscle cells?
contraction
What are the major types of muscle?
- skeletal muscle
- cardiac muscle
- smooth muscle
What is the most common type of muscle tissue?
skeletal muscle
What is skeletal muscle attached to?
bones
What is skeletal muscle responsible for?
movements of the organism
Is skeletal muscle voluntary or involuntary?
voluntary
Is smooth muscle voluntary or involuntary?
involuntary
Is cardiac muscle voluntary or involuntary?
involuntary
Where is smooth muscle tissue found?
in internal organs (eg. digestive tract, intestines, urinary bladder, blood vessel walls)
intestines: smooth muscle allows for peristalsis to occur
Where is cardiac muscle tissue found?
the heart
What is cardiac muscle tissue responsible for?
contractions of the heart
What is the largest muscle fiber?
skeletal muscle
What are the special features of skeletal muscles?
1) multinucleated
2) highly striated
What do skeletal muscles contain to maintain their cell sizes?
multiple nuclei
What are muscle fibers?
large, single, multinucleates cells
Where are the nucleuses of skeletal fibers found?
at the cell periphery
How sparsely are the nucleuses of skeletal muscles positioned?
approximately one nucleus every 35 micrometers (along the fiber)
How large can skeletal mucle cells get?
0.5 meters in length
What are the cells in muscle tissues called?
muscle FIBERS
Why are muscle cells called muscle “fibers”?
because of their long length (to describe their looks).
What is a distinctive feature of skeletal muscle?
all cell nucleuses are located on the periphery
Where is the nucleus positioned in a cardiac cell?
in the center
What allows for the quickest distinction between different muscle cells?
the position of the nucleus
Why do skeletal muscle fibers contain multiple nucleuses?
skeletal muscle fibers are formed by the fusion of many mononucleated cells (myoblasts) during development and growth
What cells fuse to create skeletal muscle fibers?
myoblasts
What is the muscle fiber length the same as?
Muscle fibers are the same length as the muscle they compose
What is a myofibril?
the structural and functional subunit of the muscle fiber
What is a myofibril composed of?
myofillaments
What do myofillaments contain?
myosin-containing thick fillaments and actin-containing thin fillaments
What do thick fillaments contain?
myosin
What do thin fillaments contain?
actin
What integrates with what in some particular places?
myosin integrates with actin in some particular places
What is the difference between the dark zone and light zone of a myofillament? What makes up each zone?
dark zone: myosin and actin fillaments
light zone: myosin only
In longitudinal sections, what appearance do muscle fibers have?
stripy
What does the stripy appearance of muscle fibers originate from?
the arrangement of repeating units (sacromeres) in series along the fiber.
What is the repeating unit of a muscle fiber called?
sarcomere
What is the average length of a sarcomere?
2.5 micrometers
How many sarcomeres does a 30cm fiber contain?
120 thousand sacromeres
1 sacromere = 2.5 micrometers
What are sarcomeres?
the smallest contractile units of striated muscles