lecture 4: skeletal muscle contraction Flashcards
What are the 2 types of filaments involved in contraction of skeletal muscles
actin and MYOSIN
What are skeletal muscles and what are they composed of?
the muscles that surround the skeleton (bones)
are composed of numerous muscle fibers (or muscle cells)
what are muscle fibers and what are they innervated by
are excitable cells: generate and propagate action potentials
are innervated by nerve fibers
(to cause muscle contraction)
TRUE or false: One nerve fiber usually innervates multiple muscle fibers
TRUE
What is it called when one nerve motor innervates multiple msucle fibers?
MOTOR UNIT
Which disease is characterized by the degeneration of alpha motoneurons in the spinal cord and brain stem?
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
What does each muscle cell fiber contain?
Each muscle fiber (cell) contains several hundred to several thousand Myofibrils (tiny tubes which contain myson and actin)
What are the 2 contractile elements of a myofibril?
myofilaments (proteins):
Thick filament: Myosin
Thin filament: Actin
Which contractile element is thick
myosin
Which contractile unit is thin
actin
what is the sarcolemma ?
Sarcolemma is the membrane of the muscle fiber that surrounds myofibrils
explain sarcomeres
Sarcomeres are the smallest contractile unit of muscle fibers (2 micrometers during contraction)
Where the contraction occurs
They are aligned end-to-end in myofibrils. Separated by Z discs
What causes the actin filaments to slide inward on the myosin
Forces generated by interaction between the two filaments: Power strokes
During muscle contraction, the actin filaments are pulled by the myosin filament inward or outward toward the center of the sarcomere
INWARD
What is myosin composed of and be able to label it
Myosin: Thick filament
Composed of the body (stem) and cross-bridges (rowers) (head & arm)
What are actin filaments composed of ?
Actin: Actin filaments are composed of Actin, Tropomyosion, and Troponin
Tropomyosin molecule: hides active sites (long filament during relaxion)
Troponin molecule: moves tropomyosin from active sites
What is the function of the tropomysin molecule?
Tropomyosin molecule: hides active sites (long filament during relaxion)
What is the function of troponin
Troponin molecule: moves tropomyosin from active sites
What is the interaction between actin and myosin in the relaxed state>
NO INTERACTION
In the relaxed state
Active sites on the actin filament are covered by tropomyosin
What is the interaction between actin and myosin in the muscle contraction state?
Ca2+ is released and Ca2+ ions bind on troponin
Troponin undergoes a conformational (i.e. shape) change, moving away the tropomyosin and uncovering the active sites
Myosin cross-bridges (heads) are attracted to the active sites of the actin
What are the 4 steps of cross bridge cycling
1) ATP binding
2) uncovering of active sites
3) power stroke
4) detachment
explain the first step of the cross bridge cycling
ATP binds on the head of the myosin and splits into ADP & Pi (stored energy),
The activated head extends perpendicularly toward the actin filament (not attached yet)
ATP STORED AND AVAILABLE
explain the 2nd step of the cross bridge cycling
Ca2+ causes the Troponin to move Tropomyosin and uncovering the active sites of the Actin.
Myosin head attaches to the active site of the actin filament.
Active sites are uncovered
explain the 3rd step of the cross bridge cycling (powerstroke)
Liberation of the stored energy (ADP & Pi) forces the head to pivot toward the arm and thus pulling the actin filament and sliding it toward the center line, Power Stroke.
explain the 4th step of the cross bridge cycling
A new ATP attaches to the myosin head and causes detachment of the head from the actin
recovering the active sites
what is. a muscle twitch
A muscle twitch (contraction) is the tension developed in response to one nerve stimulation
explain sumamtion of muscle twitches
Summation means the adding together of individual muscle twitches to increase the intensity of overall muscle contraction
What are the 2 ways that summation occurs
1) multiple fiber summation
2) frequency summation
explain multiple fiber summation
Increasing # of motor units contracting at the same time
recruitment of muscle
explain frquency summation
Increasing the frequency of stimulation of one motor unit
explain the size principle and what type of summation doe it relate to
Size Principle: Depending on the intensity of the stimulation, motor units are recruited in an orderly fashion according to their size:
Smallest motor units are recruited first (for weak stimulation)
Largest motor units are recruited last (for strong stimulation)
MUSCLE FIBER SUMMATION
small motor units are recruited first or last and what type of stiumlation occurs
first and weak
What does the size principle allow?
It allows the graduation of muscle force from small steps (weak contraction) to great steps (strong contraction)