Muscle Physiology Flashcards
Name the three varieties of muscle in the body
- Skeletal
- Cardiac
- Smooth
The contractile cells of muscle tissue
Myocytes/Myofibres
Another name for the skeletal muscle
Striated muscle
Skeletal muscle
Epimysium
Muscle fascicles
Muscle fascicle
Perimysium
Endomysium
Muscle Fibres
Muscle fibre
Sarcolemma
Fibril diameter
100 - 1000 µm
(1mm)
Myocyte diameter
10-100µm
Myofibril diameter
1µm
What is located between two Z-bands?
1 sarcomere
A-band
H-zone
1/2 I-bands
Z-bands
M-line
Sarcomere
Sarcoplasmic reticulum
Actin filament
H-zone
Z-disc
Myosin filament
I-band
A-band
M-line
Sarcolemma
Sarcoplasmic reticulum
Terminal cister
T-tubule
Triad
What permits the conduction of electrical impulses in the muscle fibre?
Narrow T-tubules
What regulates the intracellular levels of calcium?
Sarcoplasmic reticulum
The membrane triad of myocytes is composed of…
- 2 x terminal cisternae
- 1 x T-tubule
List the 3 additional proteins in the sarcomere
- Titin
- Nebulin
- Alpha-actinin
Titin
- Largest protein of the body
- From Z-lines → Myosin bundles
- Ensures precise return of actin and myosin bundles to original position
Nebulin
- Determines the direction and placement of actin polymerisation (during development)
- Protects actin fibres from rearranging
Alpha-actinin
- Creates the Z-band
- Net-like
- Provides a binding site for actin complexes
Nebulin
Titin
Alpha-actinin
A motor unit
- Motor neuron
- Skeletal muscle fibres innervated by the neurone’s axonal terminals
Summarise the pathway from neural activation to muscle contraction
- Generated AP→ Myoneural junction
- ACh-containing vesicles open at synaptic knobs
- ACh attach to the sarcolemma ACh-R
- ACh channel opens
- Na+ enters inner surface → Local end plate potential generated
- AP generated → Activates SR though T-system
- Ca2+ release into sarcoplasm → Actin-myosin contraction
- Ca2+ repumping into:
- SR
- Mitochondrium
- EC
AP on the myolemma is generated only if…
The AP is stimulated through a nerve
Transmission of neural AP to the muscle takes place in the…
Myoneural junction
Give the summary of the processes that occur at the neuromuscular junction
- AP reaches nerve terminal → ACh release
- ACh → Nicotinic receptors on muscle membrane
- Ligand-activated cationic channels open
- EPP produced
- Voltage-gated Na+ channels open
- AP formed in myolemma
Synaptic Vesicle
Synaptic Cleft
ACh receptor
- ACh binding to its receptor
- Ligand-activated cationic channel opens
ACh released by synaptic vesicle
Exocytosis
Lifecycle of neurotransmitter
Neurotransmitter synthesis
- In cell body (cytosol)
- In the terminal
Lifecycle of neurotransmitter
Neurotransmitter packaged into vesicles
Lifecycle of neurotransmitter
Neurotransmitter released
Lifecycle of neurotransmitter
Neurotransmitter binding
Lifecycle of neurotransmitter
Neurotransmitter diffused away
- Catabolysed or transported back into the terminal
Give the actions when AP reaches the NMJ
- Voltage-gated Ca2+ channels open, influx from EC space
- [Ca2+] increases 100x → ACh exocytosis initiated
Clathrin
- Protein on inner membrane
- Stimulates endocytosis
What is shown?
Clathrin-dependent endocytosis
Composition of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
What does this allow?
- Two alpha subunits
- Two beta subunits
- One delta subunit
Allows blocking effect of curare and bungarotixin
Give the 3 possible conductance states of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
- Closed
- Open
- Inactivated
Which potential is amplitude-coded?
EPP
Which potential is frequency-coded?
AP
Decremental conduction
Decrease of signal strength with distance travelled
Role of Mg2+ in muscle contraction
- Antagonises ACh receptor
- Blocking function of sarcomere
Give the importance of Mg2+ in cattle
- High Ca2+ secretion after calving → Low plasma Ca2+ levels
- [Mg2+] becomes relatively high
- Muscles relax: Parturient paresis
- AP from axon
- Ca2+ enters from EC, ACh vesicle release
Filling up with ACh
- ACh binds to the receptor
- EPP generated
- AP generated, Ca2+ influx, contraction
Effect of nicotine on the neuromuscular junction
- Same effect as ACh
- Cannot be degraded by cholinesterase
- Conc. therefore increases → Permanent depolarisation
- Intensive spasm
Effect of cholinesterase inactivators on the neuromuscular junction
- ACh not hydrolysed
- High ACh accumulation
- Repetitive stimulation of muscle fibres
- Spasm/laryngeal spasm
Effect of curariform drugs on the neuromuscular junction
- ACh receptor blocked
- No depolarisation → No contraction
- Paresis
Effect of botulin toxin on the neuromuscular junction
- Blocking of ACh release
- Pareisis
Effect of myasthenia gravis (autoimmune disease) on the neuromuscular junction
- ACh receptor blocked by antibodies
- No ACh binding
- Paresis
Depending on the task of the given muscle, there can be variations in…
Nerve:muscle fibre ratio
- Occular muscles (1:1)
- Skeletal muscles (1:100)
The fusimotor system
- Intrafusal fibres
- Modified muscle fibres → Stretch detection
- Also located in tendons → Golgi tendon receptor organs
Static fibres
Sensitive to static changes of tension (Length)
Dynamic fibres
Sensitive to dynamic changes of tension (length & velocity)
Intrafusal fibres
Extrafusal fibres
Sensory fibres
Myotatic reflex
- (Contraction of stretched muscle)
- Efferentation returns to the same muscle where afferentation occurs
- Monosynaptic
Give the responses of Myotactic reflex
- Increased stretching causes increased tension (Servo-mechanism)
- Fusimotor activation
Give the steps of the servo-mechanism
- Muscle stretching → Muscle spindles stimulated
- Sensory neuron activated
- Information processing at motor neurone
- Motor neurone activation
- Muscle contraction
Co-activation
CNS participation (+servo-mechanism) in fusimotor system activation
Describe Co-Activation mechanism
- α- + γ- motorneurones stimulated by cerebral centre (Co-__acitivation__)
- Intrafusal & extrafusal fibres contract with the same rate and strength
Describe Co-Activation in the case of sudden increased load
- Extrafusal fibre tension is stronger than intrafusal
- AP frequencies accelerate in Ia and II afferents
- Locally adjust the tension of extrafusal fibres (fine tuning)
1
AP → Myolemma
2
- AP reaches L-type Ca2+ channels in the T-tubuli
- L-type channels open
3
Ryanoid-Ca2+ open
4
Ca2+ enters the IC from the SR
5
- Ca2+ channels open on myolemma
- Ca2+ influx from the EC
6
- IC Ca2+ high in and around the sarcomere
- Contraction
Contraction and relaxation of muscle require…
ATP
The triad