neuromuscular physiology 2 Flashcards
One motor neuron can:
synapse onto multiple
skeletal muscle fibers,
but each muscle fiber is
only innervated by a
single motor neuron
neuromuscular junction:
= chemical synapse
- Motor neurones “synapse” onto specific regions on a skeletal muscle fibre
slide 6!!!!
motor end plate:
specialized post-synaptic region on the
muscle fiber plasma membrane associated with the pre-synaptic
nerve terminus
events with NMJ + synaptic cleft (schéma):
slide 7!!!
AcHE
After acetylcholine has bound to the receptors, AChE quickly degrades acetylcholine to stop the signal. AChE is located in the synaptic cleft and works very fast, ensuring that acetylcholine doesn’t overstimulate the postsynaptic cell.
(slide 8!!!!)
nicotinic AcH receptor:
- The nicotinic ACh receptor
(nAChR) is a ligand-gated
cation-selective channel - The nAChR has permeability to
Ca++, Na+ and K+, but the
largest flux/driving force is for
Ca++/Na+ ions, leading to a net
depolarization - Two ACh molecules bind to the
two subunits, inducing a
conformational change that
opens the channel pore - Opening of nACh receptors
produces a graded potential
called end plate potential or
EPP
(slide 9!!)
From mini-EPP, to EPP, to AP:
– The change in Vm from one vesicle’s worth of ACh is called a
miniature end plate potential (mEPP)
* An EPP is due to the release of ACh from a large number of vesicles
– Each vesicle’s worth of ACh produces an mEPP and these sum
together to create the full EPP
* An action potential is due to the opening of voltage-gated Na+ and
K+ channels as nearby membrane, away from the motor end plate,
was brought to threshold by passive spread of an EPP
(slide 10!!)
ECc def:
refers to the sequence of events that link depolarization of the muscle
fiber membrane (sarcolemma) to the contraction of actin-myosin filaments located in
the cytoplasm (sarcoplasm)
Excitation-contraction coupling:
- Action potentials
propagate - L-type voltage-gated
calcium channels (called
dihydropyridine
receptors) open along T-
tubules - This triggers opening
of another Ca++ channel
(Ryanodine Receptors)
on the sarcoplasmic
reticulum, releasing Ca++
ions to the cytosol - Calcium binds
troponins, unmasking
myosin binding site on
actin filaments - SERCA pumps Ca++
ions back into SR
(slide 11)
muscle depolarisation = Ca2+ release from SR:
slide 12!!! + 13!!!
- DHP/Ryanodine complex = link the electrical signal to the contraction process
- DHP (Dihydropyridine Receptor): This is a voltage-sensitive receptor located on the T-tubule membrane. It responds to the change in voltage caused by the depolarization.
Ryanodine Receptor (RyR): This is a calcium channel located on the membrane of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), an organelle that stores calcium within muscle cells.
Coupling Between DHP and Ryanodine:
When the DHP receptor senses the depolarization (change in voltage), it undergoes a conformational (shape) change.
The DHP receptor is physically coupled to the ryanodine receptor (RyR), and this mechanical change in the DHP receptor activates the ryanodine receptor, causing it to open.
after ryanodine opening + calcium channel process (+ to remember what it’s attached to and how it works)
When the ryanodine receptor opens, calcium ions (Ca++) stored in the sarcoplasmic reticulum are released into the cytoplasm of the muscle cell.
Calcium is crucial because it binds to troponin, a regulatory protein in muscle fibers, which then triggers a series of events that allow actin and myosin filaments to interact and generate contraction.
Depolarization triggers contraction:
slide 14!!!!
hypocalcemic tetany:
slide 15!!!
T-tubule depolarization triggers Ca++
release from sarcoplasmic reticulum
(coupled by DHP and RyR)
slide 16!!!
smooth muscle contraction = (speed)
slower than skeletal
(slide 17!!!!)
smooth muscle uses:
- myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) to activate contraction
- slide 19+20
muscle electrophysiology (skeletal VS smooth VS cardiac muscle):
- Skeletal muscle:
- No intrinsic activity
- End plate potential highly reliable (‘safety factor’)
- Fast-acting due to sarcomeres T-tubule excitation and
electromechanical coupling (DHP to ryanodine) - Smooth muscle:
- Intrinsic “slow wave” potential
- Slow due to lack of T-tubules and 2nd messenger
(calmodulin) of Ca2+ to myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) - Nitric Oxide (NO) relaxes contractions (via cGMP)
- Cardiac muscle:
- Intrinsic pacemaker potential
- Intermediate speed due to Ca2+-dependent Ca2+ release by
DHP/ryanodine receptors
Muscle Energetics: ATP for muscle contraction is generated from three sources:
- creatine phosphate
- glycolysis
- oxidative phosphorylation
(slide 23)
how many twitches does sarcoplasm retain ATP for?
Sarcoplasm retains enough ATP for ~8 twitches (myosin recycle + sarcoplasmic Ca2+ pumps)
crossbridge meaning:
Crossbridges in muscle contraction refer to the molecular connections formed between actin and myosin, the two main proteins involved in the contraction process within muscle fibers. This mechanism is central to the sliding filament theory, which explains how muscles contract on a microscopic level
single fibres tension, “all-or-none” principle:
The all–or–none principle
* As a whole, a muscle fibre is
either contracted or relaxed
* Tension of a Single Muscle
Fiber depends on:
– The number of pivoting
cross-bridges
– The fibre’s resting length
at the time of stimulation
– The frequency of
stimulation
single fibre tension, length-tension relationship:
- Number of pivoting cross-
bridges depends on:
– amount of overlap
between thick and thin
fibers - Optimum overlap
produces greatest amount
of tension:
– too much or too little
reduces efficiency - Normal resting sarcomere
length: 75% to 130% of
optimal length
skeletal muscle innervation:
- origin = spinal cord
- y’a 300 motor units
- Motor Unit: one motor
neuron and all muscle
fibers it innervates (~50
to 500 fibers) - !!The fewer the number of fibres
per neurone → the finer the
movement (more brain power)!! - tension = produced by whole skeletal muscle (slide 27)
motor units characteristics
- The smallest amount of
muscle that can be activated
voluntarily. - Gradation of force in skeletal
muscle is coordinated largely
by the nervous system - Recruitment of motor units
is the most important means
of controlling muscle tension - Since all fibers in the motor
unit contract simultaneously,
pressures for gene expression
(e.g. frequency of stimulation,
load) are identical in all fibers
of a motor unit