Striated muscle contraction Flashcards

- Describe how rise in intracellular Ca leads to activation of the tropomyosin-troponin system and initiation of striated muscle contraction - Describe how activation of nicotinic receptors at the neuromuscular junction leads to contraction of skeletal muscle - Describe how activation of Beta1= adrenorececeptors leads to cardiac muscle contraction

1
Q

Define cytosolic

A

Fluid portion of cytoplasm exclusive of organelles and membranes

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2
Q

What is the troponin system?

A
  • Essential link between rise in Ca2+ and striated muscle contraction
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3
Q

What 3 subunits does the troponin system consist of?

A
  • TnT
  • TnI
  • TnC
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4
Q

What does TnT do?

A

Binds to tropomyosin

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5
Q

What does TnI do?

A

Binds to active actin sites- prevents myosin-actin interactions

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6
Q

What does TnC do?

A
  • Binds Ca2+
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7
Q

How is the tropomyosin-troponin system activated?

A
  • By a rise in Ca2+
  • Actin active sites are covered by tropomyosin held in place by troponin system (T,I,C)
  • Ca2+ binds to Trop- C
  • Changing conformation of TnT-TnI- tropomyosin complex exposing actin active sites
  • Allows myosin head to bind
  • Initiates sliding filament hypothesis
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8
Q

What is the NMJ?

A

-Synaptic connection between the terminal end of a motor nerve and a muscle

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9
Q

How does skeletal muscle contract?

A

By activation of nicotinic ligand receptors by acetylcholine (Ach), this mediates communication between the motor nerve and skeletal muscle at the neuromuscular junction

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10
Q

How are nicotinic receptors activated at NMJ?

A
  1. An action potential is conducted in the motor nerves
  2. This activates VGCC and there’s an influx of Ca2+ ions
  3. Ca- dependent release of Acetylcholine, the acetylcholine is able to cross the synapse in vesicle
  4. Acetylcholine activates nicotinic ligand-gated receptors
  5. This generates an excitatory junction potential (EJP)
  6. This activates VgNa, initiating an action potential - leads to depolarisation causing contraction
  7. Breakdown of Ach by AchE- termination of response
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11
Q

How does Ach-mediated EJP produce action potentials?

A
  • Depolarisation inside musculoskeletal cells produces an EJP, which, when reaching the threshold value, activates VGNa, which causes depolarisation, hence producing an action potential.
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12
Q

What are RyR?

A

Receptors on SR which mediate Ca2+ release

They’re ligand- gated receptors

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13
Q

How is the contraction produced specifically at skeletal muscle?

A
  • AP conducted to t- tubule, activates VGCCs
  • Direct coupling between activated VGCCs and RyR on sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)- RyR opens, causes release of Ca
  • Ca binds to troponin C- allows actin-myosin interactions, as the conformation of the troponin C changes to remove tropomyosin from the actin active site
  • Myosin heads perform power stroke
  • Contraction- actin filaments move toward centre of sarcomere
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14
Q

What does the release of acetylcholine do?

A
  • Generates an action potential, conducted to t-tubule.
  • This activates VGCC
  • Direct coupling between VGCCs and Ryanodine receptors (RyR) on sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) causes the RyR to open, releasing calcium ions.
  • Calcium ions binds to troponin C- this allows actin-myosin interactions
  • Myosin heads perform power stroke
  • Contraction- actin filaments move toward centre of sarcomere
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15
Q

How does cardiac muscle contract?

A
  • The contraction of the heart is initiated by the action potential it is able to generate myogenically.
  • Via activation of Beta1-adrenoreceptors, cardiac muscle can increase its contractions
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16
Q

How are Beta1-adrenoreceptors activated?

A

By noradrenaline released from sympathetic nerves and circulating adrenaline released from adrenal medulla

17
Q

Describe how the heart contracts

A
  • Action potentials conducted from pacemaker generate contraction
  • Electrical activity generated in Sino-atrial node (SAN) is conducted through heart to cardiac muscle cells
  • Electrical stimulation leads to activation of cardiac action potential e.g. ventricles
  • Cardiac action potential generates rise in cytosolic Ca2+
18
Q

How does the rise in calcium ions cause the cardiac muscle to contract?

A

The influx of calcium ions activates the RyR to release enough calcium to activate the contractile proteins of the troponin system leading to contraction of the muscle.

This is because the calcium binds to the ryanodine receptors (which form an ion channel), creating a complex which opens to ion channel, releasing calcium ions into the cytosol

19
Q

How is cytosolic Ca2+ reduced to produce striated muscle relaxation?

A
  • Ca2+ uptake into SR- via Ca2+ - ATPase
  • Extrusion of Ca2+ from cell- via Ca2+- ATPase, Na-Ca exchanger