W9 - The Muscular System Flashcards
What are the primary functions of smooth muscle?
Digestion
Breathing
Circulation
What shape are smooth muscles?
Fusiform shaped
What do intercalated discs do for cardiac muscle?
Support synchronised contraction
What are cardiac muscle cells also known as?
Cardiomyocytes
What is the function of fascia adherens in a muscle fibre?
Mechanical support
What are desmosomes?
Specialised adhesive protein complexes.
What are desmosomes responsible for?
Maintaining mechanical integrity of tissues
What 4 characteristics define the skeletal muscle?
Excitability
Contractility
Extensibility
Elasticity
What does Titin do?
Keeps thick + thin filaments aligned.
Prevents muscle from overstretching.
Recoils muscle to resting length after stretching.
What does Nebulin do?
Anchors actin to Z disc
What is dystrophin?
Anchoring protein
Links actin filaments to other support proteins on the inner surface of each sarcolemma.
What is muscular dystrophy?
Weakening + breakdown of skeletal muscle
What are the 2 components of the motor unit?
A-motorneurone
Muscle fibres innervated by the AMN
HENNEMANS SIZE PRINCIPLE
What is recruitment based on?
Force req, not the velocity of the movement.
Slow units are ALWAYS recruited, regardless of velocity.
What are myogenic stem cells known as?
Satellite cells
Satellite cells
Incorporation of satellite cell nuclei into existing muscle fibres seems a likely explanation for exercise-induced muscle fibre hypertrophy.
Muscles Chemical composition
H20 ~75%
Protein ~20%
Salts + other substances ~5%
What are the most abundant muscle proteins?
Titin
Myosin
Actin
Tropomyosin
What does each 100g of muscle tissue contain in relation to myoglobin?
~700mg of myoglobin.
A band, lighter or darker area?
Darker
I band, lighter or darker area?
Lighter
What is the z line made from?
a-actin