Muscle Tissue Flashcards
Why do we need muscle tissue?
➢ Locomotion – movement of the body
➢ Stability – maintenance of posture
➢ Movement of substances internally (e.g. blood, food)
➢ Heat production
What does muscle tissue do to organs?
- Pull on a body structure
e.g. A skeletal muscle organ can pull 2 bones closer together. - Alter its’ internal volume
e.g. Contraction of cardiac muscle forces blood out of the heart
chambers.
What in muscle cells allow contraction?
Muscle cells contain networks of protein filaments (actin &
myosin) that facilitate the contraction process.
What are the 3 types of muscle tissue in the human body and what are their features?
➢ Skeletal- Striated,
long fibres
➢ Cardiac - Striated,
branched fibres, endomysium attached to the fibrous skeleton of the heart, slow and rhythmic contraction
➢ Smooth - Non-striated,
spindle-shaped long
cells, endomysium, very slow contractions. some are rhythmic
What do these root words mean?
- mus
- myo
- sarco
- plasm
- lemma
- mere
- muscle
- muscle
- flesh
- form or mould
- sheath or husk
- segment
Skeletal muscles functions
- Skeletal muscles integrate with bones &
joints to form lever systems that facilitate
movement.
➢ Move from place to place (locomotion)
➢ Manipulate objects
➢ Communicate & breathe
➢ Maintain body posture
What are skeletal muscle fibres surrounded by?
- Bundles (10-100) of skeletal muscle fibres are wrapped by
connective tissue & are called fascicles
Structure of skeletal muscle cells
Skeletal muscle cells (fibres) are;
➢ Long cylinders (up to 30cm long)
➢ Striated (striped)
➢ Multinucleated (100+ nuclei in one fibre)
A skeletal muscle fibre contains these structures;
➢ Sarcolemma - muscle fibre plasma membrane
➢ Sarcoplasm - muscle fibre cytoplasm
➢ Myofibrils – long rod-like structures that contain contractile
proteins (make up ~80% cell volume).
Skeletal muscle tissue structure
Muscle fibres posses many myofibrils which contain contractile
units (sarcomeres) which generate movement.
What are myofibrils?
Myofibrils contain repeating contractile units called
sarcomeres which facilitate muscle movement
What are sarcomeres?
➢ Contain interlocking actin (thin) & myosin (thick) filament
proteins.
➢ Contract when a stimulated by a signal from a neurone
(somatic motor).
Thick Myosin filaments
Made up of 200 to 500 myosin molecules. ➢ Attached to the M line in a sarcomere Each myosin molecule consists of rod-like tail terminating at 2 globular heads. ➢ Heads contain sites that bind to actin
Thin Actin Filaments
Fibrous (F) actin filaments are composed of globular (G) actin
subunits
➢ Stiffened by tropomyosin protein strand
➢ Actin filaments are attached to the Z disc in a sarcomere
Myosin heads bind to G actin subunits
➢ Troponin is a molecule attached to tropomyosin that helps
regulate the myosin – actin binding
Sarcomere Contraction
When a skeletal muscle cell is stimulated, actin
filaments in the sarcomere slide over myosin filaments.
The sarcomeres shorten & the muscle contracts.
What tissues do skeletal muscles contain?
- Connective tissue
Layers of connective tissue wrap & reinforce muscle fibres - Nerve cells (neurones)
Supply signals that stimulate muscle cells to contract - Epithelial tissue
Lines inner surface of blood vessels
What are the connective tissue layers?
epimysium, perimysium
& endomysium.
Features of connective tissue layers
➢ are continuous with one another
➢ provide structural reinforcement for the muscle
➢ provide access for nerves & blood vessels
Explain the 4 connective tissue layers
- Deep Fascia: Lines the body wall & separates muscles into
functional groups. - Epimysium: Surrounds an individual muscle organ & blend
with tendons or deep fascia. - Perimysium: Bundles together 10 - 100 individual muscle
fibres into structures called fascicles. - Endomysium: The connective tissue wrapping of an individual
muscle fibre
Where is the primary motor cortex located?
Posterior aspect of the frontal lobe
Motor neurons cross over in which parts of the body
➢ Medulla, or
➢ Spinal cord.
What is a motor unit?
A neurone and all the muscle fibres it innervates
What are fascicles?
Bundles of 10-100 skeletal muscle fibres wrapped by connective tissues
What are the components of a skeletal muscle fibre model?
- Myofibril
- Sarcomere
- Motor end plate
- Motor Neurone
- Synaptic Knob
- Schwann cell
- Node of Ranvier
- Nucleus
- Sarcoplasmic reticulum
- Sarcolemma
- Endomysium
What is Motor Homunculus?
Different regions of the motor cortex control muscle contraction in specific areas of the body
What is contralateral control?
Motor cortex controls skeletal muscle contraction on the opposite side of the body
How do neurons communicate with muscle fibres?
At neuromuscular junctions
- a small gap separates the 2 cells (synaptic cleft)