Muscles Flashcards
Functions of Muscle Tissue
- Produce body movements
- Stabilize body positions
- Store and mobilize substances within the body
- Generate heat
Key properties of muscles
- Electrical excitability
- contractility
- extensibility
- elasticity
Electrical excitability
Muscles take on ions changing the electrical potential of the cell membrane thus produce an electrical current along the cell.
Action potential is used to trigger multiple chemical reactions to create a muscle contraction
Contractility
Action potential generated causes proteins found in muscle called contractile proteins to generate tension and pull on attachment points. This will cause muscle to shorten in length
Extensibility
Due to the connective tissue present within the muscle, the miracle has a range of motion in which it can stretch out and move without tearing
Elasticity
Ability of a muscle to return back to its original length after either contraction or extensibility
Skeletal muscle
- voluntary
- attached to bones and skin of the skeleton
- move bones as well as the skin of the face
Cardiac muscle
- involuntary
- found only in the heart
- pump blood from the heart into the blood vessels
Smooth muscle
- involuntary
- found in various organs of the body (mostly hollow organs or organs that have an opening in the center through which other substances travel)
- moves substances within the tube
Characteristics of skeletal muscle
- long
- thin
- cylindrical in shape
- multinucleated
- striated
- attached via tendons to bones
Characteristics of cardiac muscle
- short
- fat
- branched
- uninucleated
- striated
- attached to intercalated discs
Characteristics of smooth muscle
- uninucleated
- no striations
- contain intermediate filaments
- connected to one another via gap junctions
Organization of skeletal muscles
Myoblasts join together forming immature muscle fiber (cell). Cell will then mature and become mature muscle fiber.
Fusion of multiple myoblasts accts for the mature muscle fiber having multiple nuclei
What is the organization of muscle tissue from smallest to largest?
- filament
- myofibril
- fiber
- fascicle
- skeletal muscle
What connects muscle to bone?
Tendons
What are the components of connective tissue from smallest (deepest) to largest (most superficial)?
- endomysium
- perimysium
- epimysium
Wheat is endomysium?
Separates individual muscle fibers from one another
What is perimysium?
Surrounding 10-100 muscle fibers separating them into bundles called fascicles
What is epimysium?
Outer layer encircling the entire muscle
What is a sarcomere?
Skeletal muscle fiber is divided into smaller functional units known as a sarcomere
Notable components of the sarcomere
- sarcolemma
- sarcoplasmic reticulum
- sarcomere
- transverse (T) tubule
- thick filament (myosin)
- thin filament (actin)
- troponin and tropomyosin
- titan filament (elastic)
What is a sarcolemma?
The plasma membrane of a muscle cell
What is a sarcoplasmic reticulum?
Stores calcium for the cell
What is a sarcomere?
Contractile unit from one z-disc to another z-disc
What is a transverse (T) tubule?
Unfolding that penetrates all the way through the cell.
Will allow the action potential to penetrate into the inside of the cell
What is a thick filament (myosin)?
A contractile protein unit that is shaped like the head of a golf club. The myosin will join to the actin and create the contraction of a muscle fiber.
What is a thin filament?
Actin. Contractile protein that resembles beads on a necklace. Actin has an active spot that allows for the binding with myosin to cause a contraction and shortening of the skeletal muscle fiber.
What is troponin and tropomyosin?
Regulatory proteins.
Cover up the binding site on the actin proteins. Actin and myosin are not able to join until these 2 regulatory proteins move out the way. The intro of calcium (Ca+) is what is used to move these regulatory proteins out the way
What is titan filament (elastic)?
Helps to return the sarcomere to its original shape after contraction has occurred
What are the different names structures of the sarcomere?
- A-band
- I-band
- H-zone
- Z-disc (line)
- M-line
What is the A-band?
From the beginning of one thick filament to the end of the same thick filament.
This is what creates the dark band.
What is the I-band?
From the end of one thick filament to the beginning of the next thick filament.
This is what creates the light band.
What is the H-zone?
From the end of one thin filament to the beginning of the next thin filament
What is the Z-disc (line)?
Provides the anchorage for the actin and titan filaments
What is the M-line?
The line found at the center of the thick filament.
Provides an anchor for the thick filament.
How does the skeletal system play an important role in the contraction of a muscle?
Nervous system connects to muscle fibers through a group of neurons known as motor nerves. Motor neurons are considered efferent nerves as they leave the central nervous system to attach to a skeletal muscle. The motor neuron will carry with it an action potential that the muscle will use to depolarize and initiate its contraction. The signal reached the synapse of the neuron and the target cell muscle fiber, this area is referred to as the neuromuscular junction or motor end plate. At the NMJ the nervous signal will be converted into a chemical called a neurotransmitter, that will be released into the space between the synapse of the motor neuron and the sarcolemma of the muscle fiber.
What is the 1st events in the sequence of events that follows the neurotransmitter binding to the sarcolemma?
The synaptic vesicles containing the neurotransmitter (ACh-acetylcholine) will reach the membrane of the synapse and release the ACh into the space between the synapse and the sarcolemma (synaptic cleft)
What is the 2nd event in the sequence of events that follows the neurotransmitter binding to the sarcolemma?
The ACh will then bind to ACh receptor proteins present in the sarcolemma (ligand-gated channels)
What is the 3rd event in the sequence of events that follows the neurotransmitter binding to the sarcolemma?
When bound on each side of the protein with an ACh the ACh receptor proteins will open and allow an influx of Na+ ions into the muscle fiber
What is the 4th event in the sequence of events that follows the neurotransmitter binding to the sarcolemma?
This influx of Na+ ions into the muscle fiber will cause the muscle fiber to depolarize and generate its own action potential
What is the 5th event in the sequence of events that follows the neurotransmitter binding to the sarcolemma?
This newly generated action potential will then travel down the T-tubules and into the muscle fiber. As the signal travels down the T-tubule it will pass by the sarcoplasmic reticulum
What is the 6th event in the sequence of events that follows the neurotransmitter binding to the sarcolemma?
As the voltage generated by the action potential passes by the sarcoplasmic reticulum it will open up voltage-gated calcium channels. The SR will then release Ca2+ into the cystol of the cell. The Ca2+ will be used in the sliding filament theory to generate the contraction of the muscle
What does the sliding filament theory begin with?
Motor nerve
What is step 1 of the sliding filament theory?
Synaptic vesicles containing the neurotransmitter (ACh) will reach the membrane of the synapse and release the ACh into the space between the synapse and the sarcolemma (synaptic cleft)
What is step 2 of the sliding filament theory?
The ACh will then bind to ACh receptor proteins present on the sarcolemma (ligand-gated channels)
What is step 3 of the sliding filament theory?
When bound on each side of the protein with an ACh the ACh receptor proteins will open and allow an influx of Na+ ions into the muscle fiber
What is step 4 of the sliding filament theory?
This influx of Na+ ions into the muscle fiber will cause the muscle fiber to depolarize and generate its own action potential
What is step 5 of the sliding filament theory?
This newly generated action potential will then travel down the T tubules and into the muscle fiber. As the signal travels down the T tubule it will pass by the sarcoplasmic reticulum
What is step 6 of the sliding filament theory?
As the voltage generated by the action potential passes by the sarcoplasmic reticulum and open up voltage-gated calcium channels. The SR will then release Ca2+ into the cystol of the cell. The Ca2+ will be used in the sliding filament theory to generate the contraction of the muscle
What is the steps 1-6 of sliding filament theory known as?
Excitation-contraction coupling
What is step 7 of the sliding filament theory?
Once the SR releases the Ca2+ into the cystol of the cell, the Ca2+ will make its way to the sarcomere. In the sarcomere the Ca2+ will attach to the regulatory proteins and move them from the binding myosin binding spots on the actin filaments. In this actin has a specific binding spot. This is the only spot that the myosin can attach to and at normal times, it’s is covered by troponin and tropomyosin but in the presence of Ca2+, the troponin and tropomyosin will bind to the calcium instead and move away from the myosin binding spot
What is step 8 of the sliding filament theory?
In order for the actin and myosin to bind together, there must be ATP present. The ATP will be hydrolyzed by an enzyme Myosin ATPase and turned into ADP and a phosphate. This release of energy will be used to “cock” the myosin head
What is step 9 of the sliding filament theory?
This cocked myosin head will then bind to the actin forming a cross-bridge between the actin and myosin
What is step 10 of the sliding filament theory?
The myosin will then undergo a process known as a power stroke where it will release the energy stored and return to the bent, low energy, position
What is step 11 of the sliding filament theory?
The power stroke causes the actin to move or slide down the myosin filament
What is step 12 of the sliding filament theory?
If calcium remains present, a new cross bridge will be created and the events of 7-10 will repeat think of this like the hand over hand action of pulling on a rope to lift a heavy object. The actin and myosin cross bridging does not allow the progress created to be immediately undone but rather “holds” the proteins in place so the additional power strokes will continue to shorten the muscle and not have the progress immediately undone
What is step 13 of the sliding filament theory?
If the calcium is removed from the cystol, then the muscle will undergo a process known as relaxation
What is step 14 of the sliding filament theory?
In order for the muscle to stop contracting and begin the sequence of relaxation you have to start at the beginning. Since the muscle contraction began with a neuron, it must also end with a neuron. The first step of relaxation is the stopping of the ACh release
What is step 15 of the sliding filament theory?
The next step is the removal of the neurotransmitter from the neuromuscular junction. AChE breaks down the ACh that was previously released and present in the synapse. AChE breaks the ACh down into fragments that can no longer be used to stimulate the sarcolemma
What is step 16 of the sliding filament theory?
With ACh no longer present, the ligand-gated channels close and stop the influx of the Na+ ions
What is step 17 of the sliding filament theory?
Without the Na+ ions present, the sarcolemma no longer has the electrical charge necessary to open the voltage-gated Ca2+ channels and the SR stops the release of calcium. Without the release of new calcium and having the continued reabsorption by the sarcoplasmic reticulum, the calcium no longer is present in the cystol of the skeletal muscle cell
What is step 18 of the sliding filament theory?
In the absence of Ca+ ions the troponin and tropomyosin move back onto the actin covering the myosin binding site. The actin and myosin can no longer bind together and the muscle fiber ceases to produce or maintain a muscle contraction
What is step 19 of the sliding filament theory?
In order to return to its original length, the structural protein titin will push apart the z-discs and return them to their original position
What does the sliding filament theory require to complete?
ATP
What are the 3 ways ATP in the skeletal muscle is created?
- creatine phosphate
- anaerobic glycolysis
- aerobic respiration
What is creatine phosphate?
It is one of the ways ATP is created in the skeletal muscle
The conversion of creatine phosphate into creatine helps to catalyze the conversion of ADP into ATP. The ATP generated from this chemical reaction creates around 15 seconds worth of energy giving only short term energy benefits
What is anaerobic glycolysis?
It is one of the ways ATP is created in skeletal muscle
During anaerobic glycolysis, glucose in the cystol of the skeletal muscle cell will be converted into pyrrhic acid and then lactic acid. The conversion of glucose into purification acid will generate 2 ATPs. This type of energy creation will give the muscle about 2 minutes of energy
What is aerobic respiration?
It is one of the ways ATP is created in skeletal muscle.
If sufficient oxygen is present, glucose can be converted by the cell into ATP through the use of cellular respiration. Aerobic respiration generates 30-32 ATP which is enough energy for several minutes to hours
When does muscle fatigue occur?
It happens when skeletal muscles that have been contracted for a prolonged period of time
Also a result of high-intensity, short duration exercise
What factors are involved in fatigue?
- Potassium accumulation
- ADP/Pi accumulation
- Fuel depletion
- Electrolyte loss
- Central fatigue
What is potassium accumulation?
With an accumulation of potassium in the cell, it makes the electrical potential further away from an action potential and thus further away from muscle contraction
What is ADP/Pi accumulation?
The free phosphate will inhibit the release of Ca2+ ions and thus prevent muscle contraction. The presence of ADP will slow the cross-bridge cycling of mechanisms of contraction
What is fuel depletion?
Declining levels of muscle glycogen leads to less ATP production
What is electrolyte loss?
The loss of electrolyte from sweating will cause a reduction in muscle excitability
What is central fatigue?
Muscles generate ammonia as a byproduct which is absorbed into the CNS and slowing motor function. Most of the reasons for central fatigue are still not quite understood
How does recovery happen?
Your skeletal muscle will use up oxygen to form ATP. As the muscle uses oxygen, the amount of available oxygen will become depleted. This will cause the RBC to deliver more oxygen to the skeletal muscle. As a result, the RBC will have less and less available oxygen and the oxygen-debt must be repaid before your heavy breathing will cease
What metabolic conditions are restored with oxygen pay back?
- convert lactic acid back into glycogen in the liver
- regenerate creatine phosphate and ATP in the muscle fiber
- replace the oxygen that was removed from the myoglobin
What is the demand in ATP in skeletal muscle?
Most skeletal muscle contractions are of short duration (few seconds to a few minutes) resulting in lower ATP demands
What is the demand for ATP in cardiac muscle?
Demands for ATP are much greater than in skeletal muscle because it must contract over and over until death.