M.

Sc 1 Sem paper 2 animal physiology Unit III

(Mr. Harikesh Singh Department of zoology B.S.N.V.P.G College Lucknow)

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Physiology of muscular system Types, function and properties of muscle tissue

Molecular organization of sarcomere

Physiology of Muscular system

Muscular tissue

Tissue

Tissues are groups of cells that have a similar structure and act together to perform a specific
function.

Types of Animal Tissues

Epithelial tissue

Connective Tissue

Nervous tissue

Muscle tissue

Muscle tissue

Muscle tissue comprises all the muscles in the body, and the specialized nature of the tissue is what
allows muscles to contract. Muscular tissue contributes of highly specialized thin and elongated cell
called muscle fibres. The muscle fiber contain specialuzed cytoplasm called Sarcoplasm that contains
network of the membrane called sarcoplasmic reticulum. The muscle fibres may be bounded by the
cell membrane called sarcolemma.

Each muscle fibres may contain numerous longitudinal fibrils called myofibrils.
There are three types of muscle tissue:

1. skeletal muscle

2. Cardia muscle

3. Smooth muscle
Skeletal Muscle Structure

Skeletal muscle is comprised of a series of muscle fibers made of muscle cells. These muscle cells are
long and multinucleated. At the ends of each skeletal muscle a tendon connects the muscle to bone.
This tendon connects directly to the epimysium, or collagenous outer covering of skeletal muscle.
Underneath the epimysium, muscle fibers are grouped into bundles called fascicles. These fascicles
are surrounded by another protective covering formed from collagen. The perimysium, as it is called,
allows nerve and blood vessels to make their way through the muscle

skeletal muscle, also called voluntary muscle, in vertebrates,Muscle fibers are formed from the
fusion of developmental myoblasts in a process known as myogenesis resulting in long
multinucleated cells. In these cells the nuclei termed myonuclei are located along the inside of the
cell membrane. Muscle fibers also have multiple mitochondria to meet energy needs.

Muscle fibers are in turn composed of myofibrils. The myofibrils are composed of actin and myosin
filaments called myofilaments, repeated in units called sarcomeres, which are the basic functional,
contractile units of the muscle fiber necessary for muscle contraction

Cardia muscle tissue

Cardiac muscle is an involuntary striated muscle tissue found only in the heart and is responsible for
the ability of the heart to pump blood.

Cardiac muscle is highly organized and bears striking similarities to skeletal muscle in terms of its
basic morphology and function. For instance, both types of muscle are composed of individual
muscle fibers, which contain numerous, alternating thick and thin contractile filaments, which give
each cell type its distinctive striated appearance.

When a cardiac muscle cell contracts, the myosin filament pulls the actin filaments toward each
other, which causes the cell to shrink. The cell uses ATP to power this contraction.
A single myosin filament connects to two actin filaments on either side. This forms a single unit of
muscle tissue, called a sarcomere.

Intercalated discs connect cardiac muscle cells. Gap junctions inside the intercalated discs relay
electrical impulses from one cardiac

Smooth muscle

smooth muscle, also called involuntary muscle,non-striated type of (vertebrate) muscle capable of
slow rhythmic involuntary contractions.

Smooth muscle is found in the walls of hollow organs, including the stomach, intestines, bladder and
uterus; in the walls of passageways, such as blood, and lymph vessels, and in the tracts of the
respiratory, urinary, and reproductive systems

At a cellular level, smooth muscle functions as an involuntary non-striated muscle. Smooth muscle
contains thick and thin filaments that do not arrange into sarcomeres, resulting in a non-striated
pattern
Fuction of muscle tissue

Movement: Our body's skeleton gives enough rigidity to our body that skeletal muscles can yank and
pull on it, resulting in body movements such as walking, chewing, running, lifting, manipulating
objects with our hands, and picking our noses.

Maintenance of posture: Without much conscious control, our muscles generate a constant
contractile force that allows us to maintain an erect or seated position, or posture.

Respiration: Our muscular system automatically drives movement of air into and out of our body.
Heat generation: Contraction of muscle tissue generates heat, which is essential for maintenance of
temperature homeostasis. For instance, if our core body temperature falls, we shiver to generate
more heat.

Communication: Muscle tissue allows us to talk, gesture, write, and convey our emotional state by
doing such things as smiling or frowning.

Constriction of organs and blood vessels: Nutrients move through our digestive tract, urine is
passed out of the body, and secretions are propelled out of glands by contraction of smooth muscle.
Constriction or relaxation of blood vessels regulates blood pressure and blood distribution
throughout the body.

Pumping blood: Blood moves through the blood vessels because our heart tirelessly receives blood
and delivers it to all body tissues and organs.

Properties of muscle tissue

All muscle cells share several properties: contractility, excitability, extensibility, and elasticity:

Contractility is the ability of muscle cells to forcefully shorten. For instance, in order to flex
(decrease the angle of a joint) your elbow you need to contract (shorten) the biceps brachii and
other elbow flexor muscles in the anterior arm. Notice that in order to extend your elbow, the
posterior arm extensor muscles need to contract. Thus, muscles can only pull, never push.

Excitability is the ability to respond to a stimulus, which may be delivered from a motor neuron or a
hormone.

Extensibility is the ability of a muscle to be stretched. For instance, let's reconsider our elbow flexing
motion we discussed earlier. In order to be able to flex the elbow, the elbow extensor muscles must
extend in order to allow flexion to occur. Lack of extensibility is known as spasticity.

Elasticity is the ability to recoil or bounce back to the muscle's original length after being stretched.

Molecular organization of sarcomere

Sarcomere, which is the basic unit of striated muscles, is a complex multicomponent biological
system controllably transforming the chemical energy released upon ATP hydrolysis into mechanical
work. Since the change in sarcomere length in a contracting muscle requires the presence of well-
coordinated moving parts, many muscle proteins evolved to quickly adapt to the variable molecular
environment and geometry.