Muscles Flashcards
properties of muscle
40% body mass
extensibility
elasticity
force production
generates movement
cardiac muscle
actin and myosin cross bridges
sliding filament mechanism
node cells produce spontaneous action potentials (autorhythmicity)
electrical coupling between cells via gap junctions
refractory period to prevent tetanic contraction
smooth muscle
surround hollow structures
sliding filament mechanism with actin and myosin
regulated by Ca2+ which is controlled by autonomic nervous system
spontaneous action potentials
skeletal muscle
moves skeleton
sliding filament mechanism with actin and myosin
controlled by motor neurones
tendon
attach muscle to bone
form aponeurosis as all muscles fibres connect to tendoninous structure
transmit force from muscle to skeleton and vice vera
mainly collagen
no metabolic energy required
transmission of muscle force
generated within fibres of muscle belly and transmitted to connective tissue (aponeurosis). sheets of aponeurosis come together to form the tendons of the muscle and force is transmitted through these to skeletal
if muscle changes length, this is translated to the skeleton and the bone (lever) will move
muscle resistance
when an external load is applied to body, muscles resist effect of force. tendons stretch to allow joint to flex and muscles will generate force to absorb the energy of the impact
concentric contraction
force causes shortening
muscle generates more force as what it is trying to move
isometric contraction
same length
external force = force muscle generates
eccentric contraction
external force is greater than the force muscle generates
muscle lengthens while still producing tension
muscle absorbs energy
powerstrokes go in opposite direction
characteristics of skeletal muscle fibres
multinucleated
many mitochondria
transverse tubules
myofibrils (smallest functional elements) and sarcomeres (smallest force capacity)
structure of skeletal muscle
muscle belly
muscle fibre (single muscle cell)
myofibril with sarcomeres
z line
boundary defining ends of sarcomere
complex of proteins
maintains structural integrity
anchors actin filaments
A-band
dark band
contains actin and myosin
remains constant length during contraction
I band
lighter region
only actin
shortens during contraction
H zone
lighter region within A band
no overlap
only myosin
becomes narrower during contraction
M line
centre of sarcomere
attachment site for myosin-stability
actin
thin protein filaments
actin (globular) and tropomyosin (fibrous regulatory protein)
troponin complexes
myosin
thick protein filaments
sliding filament theory
muscle force and length change is generated by the overlapping and interaction of actin and myosin filaments
tropomyosin
regulatory protein that overlaps binding sites on actin for myosin and inhibits interaction when in relaxed state
troponin
regulatory protein that binds to Ca2+ reversibly
conformational change causing it to pull tropomyosin away from the binding sites
T-tubules
projections of sarcolemma into the cell/fibre to get closer to the sarcoplasmic reticulum
action potential comes into vicinity of sarcoplasmic reticulum, depolarises the membrane and stimulates release of Ca2+
role of Ca2+ (excitation-contraction coupling)
binds to troponin, tropomyosin removed
crossbridges bind and generate force
Ca2+ taken up again
tropomyosin restored
if ATP is present, the crossbridge will detach
connection between T-tubules and sarcoplasmic reticulum
junctions comprised of two integral membrane proteins (one in each of the membranes)
the protein in the T-tubule membrane is a modified voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channel (DHP receptor). detects depolarisation and triggers protein in SR to release Ca2+
contraction mechanism
AT propagated into T-tubules
Ca2+ released from lateral sac of SR
Ca2+ binding to troponin removes blocking action of tropomyosin
cross bridges form between actin and myosin and generate force by moving through power strokes
ATP causes release of myosin head and its return to original state
if Ca2+ and ATP still present, myosin head will attach to another binding site
AT complete, Ca2+ taken back into sarcoplasmic reticulum
binding sites blocked
ATP in contraction
ATP binds to myosin head=conformation change=reduced affinity for actin=detachment from binding site
ATP hydrolysed to ADP and Pi by myosin ATPase, providing the energy to reposition the myosin head back to its high-energy state
motor neurones
innervate skeletal muscle
cell bodies located in brainstem or spinal cord
myelinated axons
terminal branches create junctions with thousands of muscle fibres