Skeletal Muscle Physiology Flashcards
How big are muscle cells?
10-12 cm long
100 micron in diameter
What is the layer of surrounding tissue on muscle fibres called?
Endomysium
Layer of connective tissue coating individual muscle fibre
What are bundles of muscle fibres called?
Fascicles
Around the fascicles are structures called the perimysium
What is the layer around the muscle called?
Epimysium
Is skeletal muscle striated?
Yes, due to the organised structure of the contractile proteins.
Dark band = A band Anisotropic to light (Doesn’t allow polarised light through it)
Only find myosin filaments in the A band
M band is in the middle of the A band (myosin filaments are attached to one another)
Light band = I band
Isotropic to light
(Polarised light can pass through either direction)
Middle of the I band is the Z line
Sarcomere goes from one Z line to another (functional unit)
Thin filaments are attached at the Z line, also overlap the thick filaments but depends on how stretched the muscle is
Cardiac muscle is also striated.
What are myofilaments?
Protein complexes
What are thick filaments formed from?
From large numbers of myosin II molcules
Where is the enzyme activity regulated in myofilaments?
In the regulatory light chain
Which two light chains form a-helix?
Alkali light chain
Regulatory light chain
How are thin filaments formed?
From actin in the complex with troponin and tropomyosin
How is force generated in thin filaments?
By cross-bridges between myosin and actin
Conformational changes in the myosin head that generate force that causes the filaments to slide in opposite directions
Only works when the myosin binding sites are exposed
What does the troponin complex do?
It binds calcium
What is titin?
It is the third myofilaments
Its role is to stabilise the myosin filaments positions
What does titin do to sarcomere?
It extends the distance by half a sarcomere
Attaches at the M line and extends all the way to a Z line
Bound to the thick filament and then is in a free form to the Z line
How does titin resist muscles from being over-stretched?
It stops sarcomeres from being over extended
Amount of tension it develops depends on intracellular calcium levels. Increased levels = high titin levels compared to at rest
What happens at the motor neuron?
- Branching at the axon
- Synaptic terminals sitting on the end plate
What do the folds at the neuromuscular junction do?
The increase the surface area of the end plate membrane
What type of receptors are nicotinic ACh receptors?
They are inotropic receptors
What do T-tubules do?
They carry action potential into the depth of the muscle fibres
Speed up conduction and make fast twitching possible
What is the sarcoplasmic reticulum?
Its a specialised region of the endoplasmic reticulum
Intracellular store of calcium
What are end plate projections?
Electron density due to protein structures that extend to the t-tubules to the sarcoplasmic reticulum
How are triads formed?
Through three terminal cisternae bundling together
What are dihydropyridine receptors?
They are voltage gated channels that sense changes in membrane potential in the T-tubule during action potentials
What are ryanodine receptors?
They release calcium from SR into cytoplasm