Muscles Flashcards
What are T-tubules?
Extensions of the cell membrane that penetrate into the centre of skeletal and cardiac muscle cells.
What is excitation-contraction coupling?
How the muscle gets an external signal from the nerve to excite it and propagate an AP to contract. Acetylcholine is usually the neurotransmitter.
what is DHPR?
Dihydrophyridine receptor is a L-type voltage-gated calcium channel.
What happens with the hormones when the AP is activated?
DHPR changes shape and interacts with RYR, causing it to open and allow calcium to flow out into cytoplasm. Calsequestrian holds Ca2+ in terminal cisternae to generate a concentration gradient (although not high affinity for calcium).
What two things are needed to allow a muscle to contraction?
Calcium and ATP. if no calcium then cannot bind actin and myosin so muscle remains relaxed. If no ATP, myosin ends up in resting state and rigorous mortis occurs (contracted/rigid) and Calcium goes into cytoplasm.
What is SERCA?
Pump found on membrane which pumps calcium back into SR to restore calcium (2 per ATP molecule).
why might some twitches be fast or slow?
Due to different muscle fibres/proteins being expressed/present.
why does it take twice as long for skeletal muscle to relax than contraction?
During relaxation calcium leaves. It takes longer to pump calcium into SR against concentration gradient than easily flowing out.
Why is the refractory period longer in the heart?
Got to wait much longer for the next AP to propagate as it is essential that the muscle properly relaxes to allow the heart to fill up properly. Tetany would prevent the heart from pumping.
What does thin filament regulated mean in regards to skeletal and cardiac muscle?
Actin needs to be activated by calcium to allow the contraction to occur.
How can we control how much calcium is stimulated?
Sympathetic/hormonal stimulation of Beta-adrenergic receptors.
What happens during exercise to the heart?
Change in sensitivity to calcium.
Change in level of actin-myosin interactions (reduced space of filaments).
What is the main differences in the smooth muscle contraction?
Thick filament regulated. Different myosin present which behaves differently. Actin and myosin arranged differently. Doesn’t contract in ONE direction.
What do muscles use ATP for?
Energise the power stroke of the myosin cross bridge.
Disconnect the myosin cross bridge form the actin binding site.
Energise the calcium pump for transport of calcium ions back into SR.
What are the 3 possible routes for ATP generation?
- Direct phosphorylation
- Anaerobic pathway
- Aerobic pathway
what happens to the NADH and pyruvate made in glycolysis?
Shuttled into mitochondrial matrix to complete aerobic oxidative glycolysis
OR
Converted to lactate and NAD+ in the cytosol (non-oxidative glycolysis).
What are the four stages of the aerobic pathway?
- Glycolysis
- Pyruvate decarboxylation
- Krebs cycle
- Oxidative phosphorylation
what occurs during the fed state?
Glucose in blood stream and excess if stored as glycogen.
What occurs during the fasted state?
Fatty acids are used up. Glycogen stores are broken down. Gluconeogenesis occurs to create new glucose.
What is McCardle disease?
Muscle cells can’t break down glycogen after strenuous exercise so causes muscle cramp.
What is lipid storage disease?
Due to CPT deficiency. Causes muscle cramp after prolonged exercise.
What us a agonist/prime mover?
A muscle that contracts to create the desired action.
What is a synergist?
A muscle that helps the agonist.
What us an antagonist?
A muscle that opposes the action of the agonist, thus undoing the desired action.
what is the function of connective tissue layers in muscle?
Prevent over stretching, organisation, elasticity, attach to bone and surrounding tissue.
what does a force transducer do?
Measures the pull of the muscle by measuring its length, stimulating it and seeing tension it gives.