Topic 10 Flashcards
Excitable muscle
respond to stimulus by producing action potentials
Contractile muscle
can shorten, thicken
Extensible muscle
stretch when pulled
Elastic muscle
return to regional shape after contraction or extension
4 muscle functions
- movement
- posture, facial expression
- heat production
- protection of viscera
Each muscle fibre innervated by only..
1 neuron
Axon of motor neuron branches to..
innervate several muscle fibres. 1 neuron is about 150 fibres within the same whole muscle
Motor unit
single motor neuron and ALL the muscle fibres it innervates
Neuromuscular junction structure
- presynaptic cell (neuron) with ACh (nt) in vesicles
- postsynaptic cell (muscle) membrane (sarcolemma) specialized region with ACh receptor (=motor end plate)
- two membranes speared by synaptic cleft
Neuromuscular junction function first step
AP reaches axon terminal and synaptic end bulb of neuron
Neuromuscular junction function second step
Ca enters via voltage gates and causes exocytosis of ACh
Neuromuscular junction function fourth step
chemical gates open and Na enters so end plate potential (EPP= depol. GP)
Neuromuscular junction function fifth step
PP causes opening of Na voltage gates on adjacent sarcolemma which creates an AP and propagates along sarcolemma
1 AP neuron equals..
1 EPP and 1 AP always!
In a relaxed muscle ..
tropomyosin covers myosin binding on the actin and the myosin head is activated
Myosin head activation 3 steps:
- excitation of muscle fibre (electrical event)
- excitation-contraction coupling (electrical to mechanical event)
- contraction (mechanical event) = sliding filament mechanism
Excitation of muscle fibre
a) sarcolemma depolarized - EPP –> AP
b) AP propagates down t-tubules to deep within fibre
Excitation-contraction coupling
c) AP in t-tubules cause release of Ca (coupling agent) from terminal cisterna of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) via mechanically gated channels
d) Can binds to troponin
e) troponin-tropomyosin complex moves, exposing myosin binding sites on actin
Contraction = sliding filament mechanism
f) activated myosin heads attach to binding sites inaction (cross bridge formation)
g) energy stored in myosin head released -myosin head pivots (=POWER STROKE), ADP+Pi are released. Actin slides over myosin toward centre of sarcomere
h) ATP attachés to myosin head, causing its release from actin + pivots = RECOVERY STROKE
i) myosin head reactivates (ATP –> ADP + Pi)
j) if Ca in cytosol remains high, these steps repeat (as many times to shorten the sarcomere)
Sliding filament mechanism 3 steps
- sarcomeres shorten: H zone, I band shorten. A band = same length
- Myofibrils shorten = muscle shortens
- thin actin and thick myosin my-filaments remain same length
Relaxation 4 steps
- Act broken down by AchE on motor end plate (facing cleft)
- SR actively takes up Ca (Ca ATPase)
- ATP binds to and release myosin heads
- tropomyosin moves back to cover myosin binding sites on actin
ATP necessary for 4 reasons
- cross bridge release (ATP not broken down)
- activation of myosin (ATP –> ADP + Pi) + power stroke
- pump Ca into SR
- fibre Na K ATPase activity