Muscular System Flashcards
What kind of cells are muscles made of?
cells that can shorten or contract
What does myo- mean?
refers to muscle generally
What does myology mean?
the study of muscles
What does myositis mean?
inflammation of muscle tissues
What does sarco- refer to?
muscle cells, such as sarcoplasm (the cytoplasm of a muscle cell)
What are the functions of skeletal muscle?
- produce skeletal movement
- maintain posture and body position
- support and protect soft tissues
- guard entrances and exits of digestive and urinary tracts
- maintain body temperature
Describe the anatomy of the skeletal muscle.
- muscle tissues (skeletal muscle cells or fibers)
- connective tissues (dense)
- nerves
- blood vessels
- adipose tissue (marbling)
What are the three layers of connective tissue?
epimysium, perimysium, endomysium
What does the epimysium do?
surrounds the entire muscle
What does the perimysium do?
divides the skeletal muscle into a series of compartments (fascicle)
What does the endomysium do?
surrounds the individual skeletal muscle fibers and interconnects adjacent muscle fibers
What do the collagen fibers of the three layers of the connective tissue do?
They come together to form a bundle (tendon) or a broad sheet (aponeurosis)
Describe skeletal muscle fibers (cells)
- are very long
- develop through fusion of mesodermal cells (myoblasts)
- become very large
- contain hundred of nuclei
What is the sarcolemma?
- Plasma membrane of muscle fibers surrounding the sarcoplasm
- has characteristic transmembrane potential (-95 mV)
How are transverse tubules (T tubules) formed?
- formed by inward extensions of the sarcolemma. Have same properties of sarcolemma.
What do transverse tubules do?
Transmit action potential through cells, allow entire muscle fiber to contract simultaneously
What are myofibrils?
- cylindrical structures
- each muscle fiber contains hundreds to thousands of myofibrils
- consist of bundles of myofilaments (thin and thick filaments)
What are thin filaments formed by?
actin
What are thick filaments formed by?
myosin
What is the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)
- network of tubules and sacs around each individual myofibril
What does the sarcoplasmic reticulum do?
continually pumps calcium ions from the sarcoplasm into its sacs.
What are the two parts of the sarcoplasmic reticulum?
terminal cisternae and triad
What are the terminal cisternae?
expanded chambers on either side of a T tubule
What is a triad?
a pair of terminal cisternae and T tubule
What is a sarcomere?
segment of myofibril between two successive lines. Structural units of myofibrils. Contractile unit of skeletal muscle fibers.
What does each myofibril consist of?
Many sarcomeres (~10,000) end to end
What do sarcomeres do?
form visible patterns within myofibrils
What is the A ban in a sarcomere?
the entire length of the thick filaments
What is the M line of the sarcomere?
the central portion of each thick filament is connected to its neighbors by proteins of the M line.
What is the H zone of the sarcomere?
contains no thin filaments.
What is the zone of overlap of the sarcomere?
thin filaments are situated between the thick filaments
What is the I band of a sarcomere?
the ends of the thin filaments where they do not overlap the thick filaments
What is the Z line/ Z disc of a sarcomere?
marks the boundary between adjacent sarcomeres and interconnect thin filaments of adjacent sarcomeres