Muscle Physiology

Muscle tissue types

Skeletal
Striated,
voluntary
Cardiac
Heart,
striated,
involuntary
Smooth
Nonstriated,
involuntary Table 10.2
Muscle tissue terminology

Fiber – skeletal, cardiac & smooth

muscle cell
Myofilaments
Actin – thin filaments
Myosin – thick filaments
Sarcolemma – plasma membrane
Sarcoplasm – cytoplasm
Skeletal Muscle Structure

Muscle = group of fascicles

Muscle fibers extend length of muscle from tendon to
tendon
Motor units

Motor unit: Composed of one

motor neuron and all the muscle
fibers that it innervates

There are many motor units in a

muscle

The number of fibers innervated

by a single motor neuron varies
(from a few to thousand)

The fewer the number of fibers

per neuron  the finer the
movement (more brain power)

Which body part will have the

largest motor units? The
smallest?
Components of a muscle fiber
Skeletal muscle CT

Epimysium –
surrounds entire
muscle/organ
Perimysium –
surrounds muscle
fascicle
Endomysium –
surrounds
individual muscle
fiber (10.1a)
Muscle fiber components

Sarcolemma: muscle
cell membrane
Sarcoplasma: muscle
cell cytoplasm
Motor end plate:
contact surface with
axon terminal
T tubule: cell
membrane extension
into the sarcoplasm (to
reach the myofibrils)
Cisternae: areas of the
ER dedicated to Ca++
storage (located on
each side of the T-
tubules)
Myofibrils: organized
into sarcomeres

Figure 12.2 (2 of 2)
The sarcomere

The myofibrils are

organized into a repetitive
pattern, the sarcomere
Myosin: thick filament
Actin: thin filament
Bands formed by pattern:
A and I and H bands
Z line: area of attachment
of the actin fibers
M line: Myosin fiber
centers
The sarcomere

Figure 12.5d
Myosin structure

Many myosin
molecules per filament,
golf club shape
Long tail topped by a
thickening: the head 
forms crossbridges
with the thin filament
Presence of the
enzyme, ATPase in the
head  release energy
for contraction
Actin structure
Formed by 3 different
proteins:
- globular (G) actins: bind
to myosin heads
- tropomyosin: long,
fibrous molecule,
extending over actin,
and preventing
interaction between actin
and myosin
- troponin: binds reversibly
to calcium and able to
move tropomyosin away
from the actin active site

Figure 12.4
Sliding filament theory
Muscle contracts by actin and myosin sliding
past each other
Myosin forms cross-bridges that attach to actin
Cross bridges all swing in same direction and
pull actin along
Increased overlap of
filaments results in
contraction of muscle

(10.6)
The NMJ
Neuromuscular
Junction (pp. 401-402)
Axon terminal
Mitochondria
Synaptic vesicles –
ACh
Synaptic cleft
Motor end plate
AChR
AP to muscle fiber (14.5ab)
 Sliding filament
theory
Actin and myosin
do not shorten
A band does not
change
I band shortens
Sarcomere
shortens
(10.7)
T tubules
Invaginations of
sarcolemma
Runs between
myofibrils
Conducts electrical
impulses from
sarcolemma
Excites SR to
release Ca++

(10.8)
Sarcoplasmic reticulum
SR surrounds each
myofibril
Stores Ca++
Release Ca++ for
contraction
Ca++ uptake for
relaxation

(10.8)
Muscle contraction
AP to axon terminal
ACh released
AChR activated
Muscle excited
Excitation travels down t-tubule
SR releases Ca++
Ca++ activates sliding filament process
Muscle contracts (14.5b)

http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/matthews/myosin.ht
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Motor Unit

Definition: a motor neuron

and all the muscle fibers it
innervates.
When a motor neuron fires,
all muscle fibers in the
motor unit contract.
All or none principle
A motor unit may contain
hundreds to four muscle
fibers (average ~ 150)
Each muscle fibers receives (14.6)
one NMJ
 Summary: skeletal muscle fibers

muscle myofibril

fascicle

fiber Table 10.1 Myofilaments :actin & myosin

Cardiac muscle

Only in heart
Sliding filament
theory
Striated
No NMJ

18.4
Cardiac muscle cells
15 m wide X 100 m
long
Branched
Intercalated discs
Desmosomes
adhesion
Gap junctions
transmit electrical impulses
Forms two networks – (10.10a)
atrial and ventricular
Cardiac muscle cells
(10.10cd)
Central 1-2 nuclei
Mitochondria – numerous
Less SR
Fewer T tubules
Myofibrils
Sarcomeres
A band
I band
Z disc
H zone
Striated
Smooth muscle
Six major locations
Blood vessels
Respiratory system
Digestive system
Urinary system
Reproductive system
Eye (lens and iris)
Siding filament theory applies
Actin & myosin
No myofibrils – no striations
Smooth muscle fibers
Spindle shaped
2-10 m diameter
20-200 m long
Nonstriated
Central nucleus
Arranged in sheets
Usually in layers
around a tube
Peristalsis - waves of
contraction to propel
contents along tube

(10.12b)
Smooth muscle organization
Single unit innervation
Smooth muscle fibers connected by gap
junctions
Network receives single innervation
Coordinated contraction
Multiunit innervation
Each fiber innervated
Locations
Iris of eye
Arrector pili muscle of skin