Smooth muscle Flashcards
Smooth muscle fibers are larger or smaller than skeletal muscle fibers?
Smaller (thinner and shorter)
Does smooth muscle contain striations?
No
True or false: all smooth muscle is largely the same
False- differs in innervation, packaging, organization
Where are nuclei found in smooth muscle?
Centrally
What are multi-unit smooth muscle?
discrete smooth muscle fibers that contract independently
What are unitary smooth muscle?
a group of fibers that contract together as a single unit
Which type of smooth muscle utilizes gap junctions?
Unitary smooth muscle
Which type of smooth muscle is utilized for small movements?
multiunit
Which type of smooth muscle are organized into sheets or bundles that contract together?
Unitary
Which type of smooth muscle utilizes the ANS primarily?
Multiunit
Which type of smooth muscle utilizes hormones?
Unitary
Do smooth muscles express troponin?
No
What is the difference in the myosin head in smooth muscle? What does this allow for?
that the myosin heads are not all arranged in the same direction. This allows for multi-directional contraction or force generation can in multiple in multiple planes.
What is the function of the dense bodies found dispersed throughout smooth muscle cells?
Like z discs
What replaces Z discs in smooth muscle?
Dense bodies
What is the function of the dense bodies?
Allow for force of contraction to be transmitted from one cell to the next
What is the arrangement of myosin in smooth muscle?
Arranged in multiple planes
Which attaches to the dense bodies: actin or myosin?
Actin
What is the primary source of Ca in smooth muscle?
the extracellular fluid
How much Ca does the sarcoplasm contribute to smooth muscle cell contraction
Very little
What is the point of regulation for Ca in smooth muscle? (What does Ca bind to? What enzyme is affected? What does this cause?)
Binds to calmodulin, and activates myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK). This then phosphorylates the regulatory chain of myosin ATPase
In skeletal muscle ATPse is always on. Is this the case for smooth muscle? How?
No, must be activated by myosin light chain kinase
What forms the cross bridge between myosin head and actin?
Phosphorylation by from ATP, from myosin phosphorylase
Decreased MLCK activation and myosin phosphatase activity can lead to what?
Relaxation or tonic contraction
When intracellular [Ca] falls, what happens?
Prevents further MLCK activation,
Where can multi-unit smooth muscle be found?
Ciliary and iris muscle of the eyes, piloerector muscles
What is the action of MLCK?
Phosphorylate the regulator chain of myosin ATPase
What state is the myosin head in (in smooth muscle) when ADP + Pi is bound to it?
Actin and myosin are bound