MUSCULAR SYSTEM

• Muscle contraction is a cellular

phenomenon.
• Universal Characteristics of Muscle:
PHYSIOLOGY • excitability - responds to stimuli (e.g.,
OF MUSCLE nervous impulses)

CELLS • Conductivity-ability to produce local effect

• contractility - able to shorten in length
• extensibility - stretches when pulled
• elasticity - tends to return to original shape &
length after contraction or extension
CLASSIFICATION OF MUSCLE TISSUE
 • Skeletal muscle may be defined as
voluntary striated muscle that is usually
attached to one or more bones.
• Sk Muscle cells = muscle/myofibers
SKELETAL
MUSCLE • The Endomysium that surrounds each
muscle fiber, the Perimysium that
bundles muscle fibers together into
fascicles, and the Epimysium that
encloses the entire muscle.
SKELETAL
MUSCLE
MICROSCOPIC
ANATOMY
•Sarcoplasmic reticulum -
surround myofibrils
longitudinally
• Ca2+ reservoir
MUSCLE FIBERS
Muscle Fibers
 MYOFIBRILS

Consist of 3 types of myofilaments:

1. Thick filaments – 300 myosin molecules
• two peptide chains with globular heads – form cross bridges b/t thick and thin filaments
• heads have actin binding sites and ATPase enzymes

2.Thin filaments
• actin strands (2) contain binding sites for myosin heads
• tropomyosin strands block these sites in relaxed muscles
• troponin complex binds to actin, tropomyosin, and calcium

3. Elastic filaments (titin)

• attaches thick filaments to Z disc; holds thick filaments in place; prevents muscle cell from
overstretching
Dystrophin – accessory protein links thick filaments
STRIATIONS AND SARCOMERES
  A band: Dark band formed by parallel thick filaments that partly
overlap the thin filaments (all three myofilaments)
 H band: A lighter region in the middle of an A band that contains
STRIATIONS thick filaments only; thin filaments do not reach this far into the A
band in relaxed muscle
AND
SARCOMERES  M line: A dark line in the middle of an H band; meshwork of proteins
which anchor thick filaments, origin of the thick filaments
 I band: A light band composed of thin filaments only, also elastic
filaments
 Z disc: A protein disc to which thin filaments and elastic filaments
are anchored at each end of a sarcomere; appears as a narrow dark
line in the middle of the I band, anchors thin and elastic filaments
MOTOR Axons (fibers) of somatic motor neuron
UNIT divide as they enter muscle
Motor unit = one nerve fiber and all
muscle fibers innervated by it
 each muscle gets at least one motor nerve,
wh/ contains hundreds of motor neurons w/
their axons
 one axon branches to many terminals, each
forms junction w/ one muscle fiber
 muscle fibers in a motor unit spread
throughout muscle, not clustered together
 small vs. large motor units
MOTOR UNIT
 Each fiber ending forms neuromuscular
junction (synapse) w/ a muscle fiber at motor
end plate
synaptic cleft
axonal ending has synaptic vesicles w/
ACh
highly folded sarcolemma of motor end
plate has receptors for ACh (also ion
NEUROMUSCULA channels)
R JUNCTION Nerve impulse reaches end of axon→ voltage-
gated Ca2+ channels open → Ca2+ influx
causes vesicles to fuse w/axon membrane →
ACh released
ACh binds to receptors on sarcolemma
→triggers depolarizationaction potential
Acetylcholinesterase on sarcolemma breaks
down ACh, prevents continued muscle
contraction
 1. Recall resting membrane potential:
2. Binding of ACh opens chemically gated
ion channels; Na+ gate opens, Na+ in
causes depolarization at motor end plate
(end-plate potential)
GENERATION 3. Voltage-gated channels on sarcolemma
OF ACTION next to end plate open, create action
POTENTIAL potential that propagates along memb
4. Immediately Na+ gates close and K+
gates open, K+ rushes out and makes
inside neg. again (repolarization).
  Action potential moves down T tubule in triad
 Terminal cisternae of SR release Ca2+ into sarcoplasm
via voltage-gated channels
 Ca2+ binds to troponin which shifts tropomyosin
 Binding sites on actin exposed to myosin heads

EXCITATION-  ATP bound to myosin heads hydrolyzed which

CONTRACTION activates myosin head
COUPLING  Myosin heads attach and pull thin filaments toward
center of sarcomere
 ATP binding to head releases it, hydrolysis of ATP
cocks head for another stroke, etc.
 Active transport of Ca2+ back to SR causes restoration
of blocking action by troponin, and muscle cell relaxes
SLIDING FILAMENT
CONTRACTION MODEL

A. thin filaments slide past thick filaments to

overlap to a greater extent than when
relaxed
B. nerve impulse →myosin heads attach to
actin in thin filaments → thin filaments
move to center of sarcomere, repeats w/
ATP
C. Z bands become closer together, I bands
shorten, H zone disappears, muscle fiber
shortens
Cross-Bridge cycle
 SMOOTH MUSCLE

Each smooth muscle fiber is a spindle-shaped cell with a diameter

ranging from 2 to 10 µm
Smooth muscle fibers have a single nucleus

Two types of filaments

Thick myosin-containing filaments
Thin actin-containing filaments.
Does not contain sarcomeres.
Contains > content of actin than myosin
(ratio of 16:1).
 SMOOTH MUSCLE
CONTRACTION

• Depends on rise in free intracellular

Ca2+.
• Ca2+ binds with calmodulin.
• Ca2+ calmodulin complex joins
with and activates myosin light
chain kinase.
• Myosin heads are phosphorylated.
• Myosin heads binds with actin.
• Relaxation occurs when Ca2+
concentration decreases.