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Anatomy Presentation

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7 views10 pages

Anatomy Presentation

Uploaded by

deontv2
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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ANATOMY

PRESENTATION
GROUP 14.
TOPIC: DESCRIBE THE MECHANISM INVOLVE IN SKELETAL MUSCLE
CONTRACTION
SKELETAL MUSCLE
CONTRACTION
• is a complex process that involves several steps, starting from the
brain sending a signal to the muscle to contract and ending with the
muscle fibers shortening.
• Here’s a simplified explanation of the mechanism:
1.SIGNAL FROM THE BRAIN
(NEUROMUSCULAR JUNCTION )
• Signal from the Brain (Neuromuscular Junction) The process begins
when the brain sends a nerve impulse (action potential)down a motor
neurons to the skeletal muscle.
• The nerve impulse reaches the neuromuscular junction, a point where
the motor neuron connects with the muscle fiber .
• The neuron releases a chemical neurotransmitter called acetylcholine
(ACh) into the synapse (space between the neuron and muscle fiber).
• Acetylcholine binds to receptors on the muscle cell membrane, called
the sarcolemma .
DIAGRAM
2.MUSCLE FIBER
DEPOLARIZATION
• Once acetylcholine binds to the muscle cell, it triggers an action potential(electrical
signal) to spread along the sarcolemma and down into the T-tubules (transverse tubules).
• This electrical signal travels into the interior of the muscle fiber and reaches the
sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), a structure that stores calcium ions.

• 3.RELEASE OF CALCIUM IONS

• The action potential causes the sarcoplasmic reticulum to release calcium ions(Ca²⁺) into
the muscle cytoplasm (sarcoplasm).
• The released calcium ions play a crucial role in muscle contraction by binding to troponin,
a regulatory protein that is part of the thin filaments (actin filaments) within the muscle
fiber.
4.EXPOSURE OF ACTIVE SITES
ON ACTIN
• Normally, the tropomyosin protein blocks the binding sites on actin
(the thin filaments) where myosin heads (thick filaments) would
attach.
• When calcium ions bind to troponin, it causes a conformational
change in troponin, which pulls tropomyosin away from the active
sites on actin, exposing them.
5.CROSS-BRIDGE FORMATION
• Once the active sites on actin are exposed, the myosin heads (part of
the thick filaments) attach to these sites, forming cross-bridges.
• This attachment between actin and myosin is the key to muscle
contraction.
6.POWER STOKE (SLIDING
FILAMENT MECHANISM)
• After the myosin heads bind to actin, they perform a movement
called the power stroke.
• The myosin heads pivot and pull the actin filaments toward the center
of the sarcomere (the functional unit of the muscle), causing the
muscle fiber to shorten and contract.
• This movement is powered by ATP (adenosine triphosphate). The breakdown
of ATP provides the energy needed for the myosin heads to move.
7.DETACHMENT OF MYOSIN
FROM ACTIN
• After the power stroke, a new ATP molecule binds to the myosin head causing it to
release from the actin filament.
• The myosin head then resets (or “cocks”) into its original position, ready to attach
to another actin site for another power stroke if calcium ions are still present.

• 8.RELAXATION (ENDING THE CONTRACTION)


• When the nerve signal stops, the sarcoplasmic reticulum actively pumps calcium
ions back into storage, lowering calcium levels in the muscle cytoplasm.
• Without calcium, troponin and tropomyosin return to their original positions
covering the binding sites on actin, which prevents further cross-bridge formation.
• The muscle fiber relaxes and returns to its resting length.
SUMMARY OF THE MECHANISM
• Signal arrives → Acetylcholine triggers action potential → Calcium release from the sarcoplasmic
reticulum → Calcium binds to troponin →Tropomyosin shifts → Myosin binds to actin → Power
stroke (contraction)→ ATP causes myosin detachment → Relaxation (calcium is reabsorbed).
• This process is often referred to as the sliding filament theory, because the thin(actin) and thick
(myosin) filaments slide past one another to shorten the muscle during contraction
• Summary of Key Components:
• Motor Neuron: Sends the contraction signal to the muscle.
• Acetylcholine: Neurotransmitter that triggers an action potential in the muscle.
• Sarcoplasmic Reticulum: Releases calcium ions into the muscle.
• Calcium Ions: Bind to troponin, allowing myosin to bind to actin.
• Myosin and Actin: Filaments that slide past each other to cause contraction.
• ATP: Provides energy for the myosin heads to contract and reset.
• THANK YOU

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