Lecture 24

Contraction of Skeletal Muscle (1)

NARRATED LECTURE
Ms. Nicole Haines-Arries
nhaines@uwc.ac.za
Office number: 4.60

HUB 127 2021

Dept. Medical Biosciences
University of the Western Cape

 Muscle Tissue
• A primary tissue type, divided into:
– skeletal muscle
– cardiac muscle
– smooth muscle

Functions of Skeletal Muscles

1. Produce skeletal movement
2. Maintain body position
3. Support soft tissues
4. Guard body openings
5. Maintain body temperature

 Skeletal Muscle Structures

• Muscle tissue
(muscle cells or
fibers)
• Connective tissues
• Nerves
• Blood vessels

How is muscle tissue organized at

the tissue level?
Organization of Connective Tissues

• Muscles have 3
layers of
connective
tissues:
1. epimysium
2. perimysium
3. endomysium

 Epimysium
• Exterior collagen
layer
• Connected to deep
fascia
• Separates muscle
from surrounding
tissues

 Perimysium
• Surrounds muscle
fiber bundles
(fascicles)
• Contains blood
vessel and nerve
supply to fascicles

 Endomysium
• Surrounds individual
muscle cells (muscle
fibers)
• Contains capillaries
and nerve fibers
contacting muscle cells
• Contains satellite cells
(stem cells) that repair
damage

 Muscle Attachments
• Endomysium, perimysium, and epimysium
come together:
– at ends of muscles
– to form connective tissue attachment to bone
matrix
– i.e., tendon (bundle) or aponeurosis (sheet)

 Nerves
• Skeletal muscles are voluntary muscles,
controlled by nerves of the central nervous
system
 Blood Vessels
• Muscles have extensive vascular systems
that:
– supply large amounts of oxygen
– supply nutrients
– carry away wastes

 Formation of
Skeletal Muscle Fibers
• Skeletal muscle cells are called fibers

Figure 10–2


 Skeletal Muscle Fibers
• Are very long
• Develop through fusion of mesodermal
cells (myoblasts)
• Become very large
• Contain hundreds of nuclei

 Organization of
Skeletal Muscle Fibers

Figure 10–3


 The Sarcolemma
• The cell membrane of a muscle cell
• Surrounds the sarcoplasm (cytoplasm of
muscle fiber)
• A change in transmembrane potential
begins contractions

 Transverse Tubules (T tubules)

• Transmit action potential through cell
• Allow entire muscle fiber to contract simultaneously
• Have same properties as sarcolemma

 Myofibrils
• Lengthwise subdivisions within muscle fiber
• Made up of bundles of protein filaments (myofilaments)
• Myofilaments are responsible for muscle contraction

 Types of Myofilaments
• Thin filaments:
– made of the protein actin
• Thick filaments:
– made of the protein myosin

 Sarcoplasmic Reticulum (SR)

• A membranous structure surrounding each myofibril
• Helps transmit action potential to myofibril
• Similar in structure to smooth endoplasmic reticulum
• Forms chambers (terminal cisternae) attached to T
tubules

 A Triad
• Is formed by 1 T tubule and 2 terminal
cisternae
 Cisternae
• Concentrate Ca2+ (via ion pumps)
• Release Ca2+ into sarcomeres to begin
muscle contraction

 What are the structural

components of a sarcomere?
 Sarcomeres
• The contractile
units of muscle
• Structural units of
myofibrils
• Form visible
patterns within
myofibrils

 Muscle Striations
• A striped or striated pattern within
myofibrils:
– alternating dark, thick filaments (A bands) and
light, thin filaments (I bands)

Components of Sarcomeres
 M Lines and Z Lines
• M line:
– the center of the A
band
– at midline of
sarcomere
• Z lines:
– the centers of the I
bands
– at 2 ends of
sarcomere

 Zone of Overlap
• The densest, darkest area on a light micrograph
• Where thick and thin filaments overlap

 The H Zone
• The area around the M line
• Has thick filaments but no thin filaments

 Titin
• Are strands of protein
• Reach from tips of thick filaments to the Z
line
• Stabilize the filaments

Sarcomere Structure

Figure 10–5
 Sarcomere Function
• Transverse tubules encircle the sarcomere
near zones of overlap
• Ca2+ released by SR causes thin and thick
filaments to interact

 Muscle Contraction
• Is caused by interactions of thick and thin
filaments
• Structures of protein molecules detemine
interactions

 Structure of Myofilaments
• Myofilaments
• Each myofibril contains thousands of thick and thin myofilaments
– Four different kinds of protein molecules make up
myofilaments
• Myosin
– Makes up almost all the thick filament
– Myosin “heads” are chemically attracted to actin
molecules
– Myosin “heads” are known as cross bridges when
attached to actin
• Actin: globular protein that forms two fibrous strands
twisted around each other to form the bulk of the thin
filament
• Tropomyosin: protein that blocks the active sites on
actin molecules
• Troponin: protein that holds tropomyosin molecules in
place
– Thin filaments attach to both Z disks (Z lines) of a
sarcomere and extend partway toward the center
– Thick myosin filaments do not attach to the Z disks

 The Myosin Molecule

• Tail:
– binds to other myosin molecules
• Head:
– made of 2 globular protein subunits
– reaches the nearest thin filament

 Myosin Action
• During
contraction,
myosin heads:
– interact with
actin filaments,
forming cross-
bridges
– pivot, producing
motion

Structure of Actin and Myosin

 Skeletal Muscle Contraction
• Sliding filament
theory:
– thin filaments of
sarcomere slide
toward M line
– between thick
filaments
– the width of A zone
stays the same
– Z lines move closer
together

 Sliding-filament Model

• Actin myofilaments sliding

over myosin to shorten
sarcomeres
– Actin and myosin do not
change length
– Shortening sarcomeres
responsible for skeletal
muscle contraction
• During relaxation,
sarcomeres lengthen

 Sarcomere Shortening (Contraction)

Actin and myosin filaments in a relaxed muscle.

During contraction, actin myofilaments at each end of

the sacromere slide past the myosin myofilaments
toward each other. As a result, the Z disks are
brought closer together, and the sacromere shortens.

As the actin myofilaments slide over the myosin

myofilaments, the H zones and the I bands narrow.
The A bands, which are equal to the length of the
myosin myofilaments, do not narrow, because the
length of the myosin does not change.

In a fully contracted muscle, the ends of the actin

myofilaments overlap and the H zones disappears.
Myofilaments do not change length during muscle
contraction.

Level 1: Skeletal Muscle

Figure 10–6 (1 of 5)
Level 2: Muscle Fascicle

Figure 10–6 (2 of 5)
Level 3: Muscle Fiber

Figure 10–6 (3 of 5)
Level 4: Myofibril

Figure 10–6 (4 of 5)
Level 5: Sarcomere

Figure 10–6 (5 of 5)