Muscular System

 As with the skeltal system most of

the
 muscular system also develops
from the
 mesodermal germ layer
 Smooth muscle develops from
splanchnic
 mesoderm which surrounds gut
/derivatives.
 • Cardiac muscle develops from
splanchnic
 mesoderm which surrounds the
heart tube.
TRUNK MUSCULATURE

 Skeletal muscle of the trunk develops from

paraxial mesoderm (which forms somites &
somitomeres)
 FATE OF MYOTOME CELLS
 Myotome cells split
 off, move to their
 definitive locations, &
 become elongated &
 spindle shaped
 (called myoblasts)
 Many myoblasts fuse
 to become
 Multinucleated muscle fibres.
 Myofibrils appear in
cytoplasm.
 By 12/52 cross
striations typical for
skeletal muscle
appear.
 Somites: form body wall musculature. It forms
a dorsal epimere & a ventral hypomere.
 The epimere forms the vertebral extensors;
while the hypomere forms the muscles of the
body wall and limbs.
 Note the different innervation dorsal and ventral
primary rami
Somitomeres
 same process in head and neck region i.e.
form myoblasts which will form extra ocular
eye muscles, face, larynx, tongue etc
Head Musculature
 Limb Musculature
 Condensation of mesenchyme near the base of
limb buds (7th week)
 Mesenchyme is derived from dorsolateral cells
of somites
 Migrate into limb bud to form the muscles
 Connective tissue dictates the pattern of muscle
formation
 Upper limb buds lie opposite the lower five
cervical and upper two thoracic segments
 Limb Musculature
 Lower limb buds lie
opposite lower lumbar
and upper two sacral
segments
 There is a 180° medial
rotation of the lower
limb compared to
developing upper limb
(angle of flexion
differs)
 Cardiac Muscle
 Develops from splanchnic mesoderm
surrounding the endothelial heart tube
 Myoblasts adhere to one another by intercalated
discs
 Myofibrils develop as in skeletal muscle but do
not fuse
 Few special bundles become visible (Purkinje
fibers)
Smooth Muscle
Clinical Correlations
Skletal system

 The skeletal system develops from the

mesodermal germ layer
 Mesenchymal cells are pluripotent, meaning
they have the ability To differentiate down
several different pathways. One cell can
become many different cell-types
 The embryonic mesoderm can be divided into
three basic regions, proceeding from medial
to lateral :
Paraxial mesoderm
Intermediate mesoderm
Lateral plate mesoderm
Have a nice day