Muscle tissue - Skeletal muscle fibers are organized into repeating functional units that contain sliding filaments

19 important questions on Muscle tissue - Skeletal muscle fibers are organized into repeating functional units that contain sliding filaments

What does striated muscle mean?

Striated muscle means that they cells are banded. The band are either thin or thick filaments. Thin means actin, thick means myosin.

What is the sarcolemma and sarcoplasm?

The sarcolemma, or plasma membrane of a muscle fiber, surrounds the sarcoplasm, or cytoplasm of the muscle fiber.

What are transverse tubules, or T tubules?

Transverse tubules, or T tubules, are narrow tubes whose surfaces are continuous with the sarcolemma and extend deep into the sarcoplasm. They are filled with extracellular fluid and form passageways through the muscle fiber, like a network of tunnels through a mountain.
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What is the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)?

The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is a membrane complex that forms a tubular network around each myofibril, fitting over it like lacy shirtsleeves.

What is terminal cisternae?

Terminal cisternae are enlarged areas of the sarcoplasmic reticulum surrounding the transverse tubules.

What is a triad?

A triad is the combination of a pair of terminal cisternae plus a T tubulue.

What is a myofibril? What about myofilaments?

A myofibril is 1-2 μm in diameter and as long as the entire muscle fiber. Myofibrils consist of bundles of protein filaments called myofilaments.

What does a sarcomere contain?

  • Thick filaments
  • Thin filaments
  • Proteins that stabilize the positions of the thick and thin filaments
  • Proteins that regulate the interactions between thick and thin filaments

What is the A band in a sarcomere?

The A band is the dark band of a sarcomere. The A band contains regions of overlapping thick (myosin) and thin (actin) filaments. The A band also includes portions of thin filaments and contains these three subdivisions:
  • M line
  • H band
  • Zone of overlap

What is the M line?

The M line is in the center of the A band. Proteins of the M line connect the central portion of each thick filament to neighboring thick filaments.

What are the four main proteins that thin filament contains?

  • Filamentous actin (F-actin)
  • Nebulin
  • Tropomyosin
  • Troponin

What is the function of nebulin?

Nebulin holds the F-actin strand together.

What is the function of tropomyosin and troponin?

A troponin-tropomyosin complex prevents myosin from binding by covering the active sites of G-actin and preventing actin-myosin interaction.

What has to happen to the troponin-tropomyosin complex when contraction has to occur?

The troponin-tropomyosin complex has to change position, exposing the active sites on actin. The change in position takes place when calcium ions bind to their receptors on the troponin molecules.

What happens to a sarcomere when a skeletal muscle fiber contracts?

  1. The H bands and I bands of the sarcomeres narrow
  2. The zones of overlap widen
  3. The Z lines move closer together
  4. The width of the A band remains constant

What is the sliding-filament theory?

The sliding-filament theory states that the thin filaments are sliding toward the center of each sarcomere, alongside the thick filaments.

Describe the components of a sarcomere.

Sarcomeres, the smallest contractile units of a striated muscle cell, are segments of myofibrils. Each sarcomere has a dark A band and light I bands. The A band contains the M line, the H band, and the zone of overlap. Each I band contains thin filaments, but not thick filaments. Z lines bisect the I bands and mark the boundaries between adjacent sarcomeres.

Why do skeletal muscle fibers appear striated when viewed through a light microscope?

Skeletal muscle fibers appear striated when viewed through a light microscope because the Z lines and thick filaments of the myofibrils within the muscle fibers are aligned.

Where would you expect to find the greatest concentration of Ca2+ in a resting skeletal muscle fiber?

You would expect the greatest concentration of calcium ions in a resting skeletal muscle fiber to be in the terminal cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

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