Striated and Smooth Muscle Flashcards
What is a motor unit?
single motor neuron and all of the corresponding muscle fibers it innervates
Describe striated and smooth muscle
Striated- cardiac and skeletal (organized in sarcomeres)
cardiac (single unit - myocytes connected through low resistance gap junctions)
skeletal (multi-unit … every single skeletal muscle cell has nerve connected to it..each muscle fiber is innervated by only one nerve ending)
smooth muscle- most predominant in body, around blood vessels, can be single or multi unit
Describe the following terms: fascicles (a group of muscle fibers) fascicles myofiber myofibrils myofilaments
Give a summary of skeletal muscle structure.
fascicles- a group of muscle fibers
myofiber = muscle fiber = muscle cell
myofibrils (composed of many repeating sarcomeres)
myofilaments (myosin and actin filaments)
- muscle is composed of fascicles
- each fascicle contains bundle of muscle fibers (cells)
- within each fiber are myofibrils composed of thick and thin filaments
- arrangement of filaments gives muscle its striped (striated) appearance
Describe the connective tissue sheaths of muscle
endomysium
perimysium
epimysium
endomysium- surrounds individual fibers, contains capillaries
perimysium- surrounds each fascicle, contains blood vessels and nerves
epimysium-surrounds entire muscle
epimysium, perimysium and endomysium all come together at ends of muscles to form tendons
What is a myofibril composed of?
myofibril is composed of many repeating sarcomeres
sarcomere= basic contractile unit (is about 2 microns)
Describe and draw the sarcomere: A band I band M line Z line H zone
“sliding filament theory”
1 sarcomere = Z line to Z line
A band = dark (thick filaments myosin and some overlapping thin filaments actin)
I band- light thin filaments only (actin only)
M line: contains proteins that anchor the thick filaments together (M line inside H zone)
Z line- where actin filaments attach
Describe the thick filament: myosin
thick filament = polymer of approx 200 myosin molecules
Myosin binds actin and has ATPase activity
-one myosin protein has 2 heavy chains and 4 light chains
the chains coil to form a rod (tail) region and 2 globular heads (cross bridges)
globular head 1) binds actin
2) contains ATPase activity
Each pair of heads is oriented 120 degrees from the next pair so myosin thick filament interacts with thin filament in 3D
Describe the thin filament: actin, troponin, tropomyosin (What is thin filament composed of? Describe at rest and when activated.)
F-actin is a double stranded helix composed of many G-actin monomers (about 360)
the thin filament is a complex of several interacting proteins
F-actin, tropomyosin, troponin-T, Troponin-I, Troponin-C
1 tropomyosin and troponin complex per 7 actin monomers
Each G-actin has a binding site for myosin
At rest: binding site blocked by the troponin-tropomyosin complex
When activated: t-t complex move into the “actin groove” exposing the myosin binding site
What is sarcolemma?
plasma membrane of muscle fibers
What are transverse tubules (T-tubule)?
invaginations of sarcolemma into the muscle fiber, conduct muscle AP, they are closely apposed to the SR, Dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) on the T-tubule functions as the voltage sensor
Describe the Sarcoplasmic Reticulum (SR).
a special type of smooth endoplasmic reticulum of muscle and store a high concentration of Ca2+. Ryanodine receptor (RyR) or the SR membrane is the Ca2+ releasing channel
Describe muscle triad.
association of one T-tubule with 2 adjacent “lateral sacs” of SR
What is SERCA?
sarcoplasmic and endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase - a Ca2+ ATPase (calcium pump) in the SR membrane
pumps Ca2+ from cytoplasm into SR lumen to restore Ca2+ gradient.
How does the NS communicate with muscle?
through neuromuscular junctions. work like a synapse between neurons
- the impulse arrives at the end bulb,
- chemical transmitter is released and diffuses across the neuromuscular cleft,
- the transmitter molecules fill receptor sites in the membrane of the muscle & increase membrane permeability to sodium,
- Na+ then diffuses in & the membrane potential becomes less negative,
- and, if the threshold potential is reached, an action potential occurs and travels along the sarcolemma, and the muscle contracts.
What is the neurotransmitter in NMJ?
What is its receptor on the postjunctional membrane?
Describe what happens when the receptor is activated.
Ach Acetylcholine receptor (AchR) - it is nicotinic in nature and when activated by Ach, it opens as a cationic channel (mainly Na+) ...receptor has 5 subunits
Released Ach is rapidly hydrolysed to inactive choline and acetate, catalysed by the enzyme acetyl cholinesterase
What is excitation-contraction coupling?
A process whereby membrane depolarization (electrical) is transformed into a chemical signal to initiate muscle contraction
Ca2+ (calcium) is the link between excitation and contraction
What are the six steps in muscle contraction?
- Excitation-Contraction Coupling
a. Action potential travels into T-tubule
b. Depolarization activates DHPR
c. DHPR conformational change activates RyR
d. Ca2+ release from SR
e. Ca2+ initiates muscle contraction
f. SERCA pumps Ca2+ back into SR lumen (muscle relaxes) - Ca2+ binds troponin
- Troponin/tropomyosin move to actin groove
- myosin binds actin
- Crossbridge cycle/Powerstroke
- Calcium sequestration = relaxation
Label/Draw graph for events during muscle contraction.
See slide 26.
What is the steric hindrance model?
Striated muscle contraction is regulated by the thin filament regulatory proteins
At Rest, troponin & tropomyosin inhibit the binding of myosin to actin
(slide 27)
Describe the steps in the steric hindrance model.
During activation (by Ca released from SR)
- Ca binds troponin C
- Conformational change so Troponin I has low actin affinity
- Tropomyosin and troponins move into actin groove
- Myosin binding site on actin is exposed
- Myosin binds actin crossbridge cycle
Describe/draw the cross-bridge cycle.
Diagram slide 30.
basic mechanism is the same in all muscles but how activation occurs varies among muscle types
Describe the muscle sarcomere: sliding filament model.
Free energy from cleavage of Mg*ATP induces a bend in myosin head from a 90 to 45 degree angle
Actin filaments slide toward the H zone, pulling the Z lines inward
Sarcomere shortens and muscle contracts
This happens in a wave - not synchronous for each sarcomere
How is the strength of muscle contraction regulated?
- twitch summation
- recruitment of additional motor units
- muscle fiber thickness
- length of fiber at onset of contraction (length-tension relationship)