MUSCLE CONTRACTION

YU, Pei Jun Peggy (13C)

MUSCLE FIBER

Each muscle fiber has features to support muscle contraction:

multinucleate (many nuclei)
continuous membrane (sarcolemma)
large number of mitochondria (for ATP hydrolysis)
contains tubular myofibrils made of myofilaments (actin,
mysosin)
sarcoplasmic reticulum (specialised ER) to store calcium ions

MUSCLE
BUNDLE
Consists of muscle fibres (formed via the
fusion of muscle cells)

MUSCLE
Skeletal muscles (existing in antagonistic pairs) are made up of:
Muscular bundles (fascicles)
Connective tissue (perimysium) - which surrounds the muscular
bundles

Main steps::
MUSCLE CONTRACTION
Antagonistic pairs = one
contracts (flexor/bicep) the
other relaxes (extensor/
tricep), and vice versa
Depolarisation (action
potential in motor
neuron) to release calcium
ions from sarcoplasmic
reticulum
Actin & myosin cross-
bridge formation
Sliding mechanism of actin
& mysosin filaments
Shortening of sarcomere
 n Muscle inn
Depolarisation & Calcium Io ervation
Release
om
Action potential fr
lease of
motor neuron > re
cause
acetylcholine to
depolarisation in
ads
sarcolemma > spre
fibre in
throughout muscle
lasmic
T tubules > sarcop
calcium
reticulum releases
Ca^2+ in
ion stores (release
sorbs in
contraction vs. ab tropomyosin
relaxation)

troponin
Actin has binding sites for myosin
heads that are blocked by troponin
Binding sites are exposed when & tropomyosin.
calcium ions binds to troponin,
causing reconfiguration, allowing Actin & Myosine
myosin heads to forma cross-bridge Cross-Bridge
with actin Formation

MUSCLE TRANSDUCTION
ATP binds to myosin head to break the cross-bridge > causes
myosin heads to reorientate to move onto the next actin
binding site. After binding occurs, myosin returns to its
original conformation (releasing ADP + Pi), pulling actin
filaments along the myosin to the centre of the sarcomere.

Actin, myosin, sarcomere

sarcomere, z line

Repeated reorientation of myosin

heads pulls actin filaments along
myosin, pulling the Z lines
(anchored to actin) closer,
shortening the sarcomere.
More and more individual Repeating sect
ions of myofib
rils
sarcomeres become shorter,
causing the muscle fibre to
contract.