Muscular Tissue
longitudinal striations
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MUSCLE
FIBER
- All muscle fibers are Elongated and
oriented parallel to its direction of
action
- Cell membrane is known as
sarcolemma
- Nucleus is elongated and is parallel
to the long axis of the muscle fiber
- Cytoplasm is known as sarcoplasm
(strongly acidophilic due to its
myoglobin pigment)
- Contractility is its fundamental
property (contraction generates
heat)
Functions of Muscles
- Movement
- Locomotion
- Maintenance of body
posture
Functional Classification
Voluntary – under the control of the CNS
Involuntary – contract I response to
stimulation of the autonomic nervous
system
ANS – it is the division of the peripheral
nervous system that supplies the smooth
muscle, the glands, thus, influences the
function of the internal organs
Structural Classification – pertains to the
presence or absence of striation
Striated – presence of transverse or cross-
striations known as dark and light bands
Smooth – no cross striations but with
Histological Classification
- Skeletal Muscles
- Cardiac Muscles
- Smooth muscle
Muscle Tissue
- The muscles are composed of cells
that optimize the universal cell
property of contractility
- Of mesodermal origin
- Differentiate by a gradual process of
cell lengthening with abundant
synthesis of the myofibrillar proteins
actin and myosin
3 Types of muscle tissue can be
distinguished on the basis of morphologic
and functional characteristics of each
adapted to its physiologic role
The variation in diameter of muscle fibers
depends on:
- Age
- Specific muscle
- Gender
- Nutritional status
- Physical training of the individual
Exercise enlarges the skeletal musculature
by stimulating formation of new myofibrils
and growth in the diameter of individual
muscle fibers
Hypertrophy – increased cell volume
Hyperplasia – increased in the number of
cell (which takes place very readily in
smooth muscle, whose cells have not lost
the capacity to divide by mitosis. Ex. Uterus)
SKELETAL MUSCLE CELL
- Long, cylindrical multinucleated
cells with a diameter of 10-100um
Organization of skeletal muscle
Epimysium – external sheath of dense in
connective tissue that surround entire
muscle
Perimysium – connective tissue layer that
surrounds each bundle of muscle fibers
(fascicle)
Endomysium – layer of reticular fibers and
scattered fibroblast that surrounds
external lamina of the individual muscle
fibers
All of 3 layers are continuous with the
tough connective tissues of a tendon at
Myotendinous Junctions
Organization within muscle fibers
Sarcoplasm – highly organized, containing
long cylindrical filament bundles called
myofibrils
A bands – dark band on the myofibrils
I bands – light band on the myofibril
I and A banding pattern in a sarcomere is
due to regular arrangement of thick and
thin myofilament
Myofilament is composed of myosin and F-
actin
In TEM, each I band is seen to be bisected
by a dark transverse line, Z disc
Sarcomere – repetitive functional subunit
of contractile apparatus
- Extends form Z disc to another Z disc
2 Filament Types
1. Thick Myosin filaments
- 1.6 um long and 15 nm wide
- Myosin – a large complex with 2
identical heavy chains and 2 pairs of
light chains
- Myosin head binds actin forming
transient cross-bridges between
thick and thin filaments, and ATP,
catalyzing energy release
(Actomyosin ATPase activity)
2. Thin Actin Filaments
- 1.0 um long and 8nm wide
- Run between thick filament
- Have 2 associated regulatory
proteins: Tropomyosin – 40 nm long
coil of 2 polypeptide chains located
in the groove between 2 twisted
actin strands
- Troponin – complex of three
subunits:
TnT – attaches to tropomyosin
TnC – binds Ca
Tnl – regulates actin-myosin
Sarcoplasmic Reticulum – contains pumps
and other proteins for Calcium
sequestration and surrounds myofibrils
- To trigger the release of calcium
from sarcoplasmic reticulum
throughout the muscle fiber and
produce contraction of all myofibrils,
the sarcolemma has T tubules
- T Tubules – penetrate deeply into
the sarcoplasm and encircle each
myofibril near aligned A and I band
boundaries of sarcomere
Terminal Cisternae – adjacent to T-Tubules
Triad Junctional Folds – provide for greater
postsynaptic surface area and more
- Complex of T-tubule with two
transmembrane acetylcholine receptors
terminal cisternae
- Allows depolarization of the Acetylcholine Receptors
sarcolemma in a T-tubule to affect
- Contains cation channels that opens
the sarcoplasmic reticulum and
upon neurotransmitter binding
trigger release of Calcium ions into
- Allowing influx of cations
cytoplasm, which initiates
- Depolarizing the sarcolemma
contraction of sarcomeres
- Producing the muscle action
Mechanism of Contraction potential
- Neither the thick nor thin filament Muscle Spindles and Tendon Organs
change their length
Muscle spindles
- Contraction is induced when an
action potential arrives at a synapse, - 2 mm long and 0.1 mm wide
the neuromuscular junction - Encapsulated by modified
perimysium, with concentric layers
Innervation
of flattened cells, containing
Perimysium interstitial fluid
- Intrafusal fibers
- Myelinated motor nerves branch
out Golgi Tendon Organs
- Where each nerve gives rise to
- Smaller encapsulated structures
several unmyelinated terminal
that enclose sensory axons
twigs that pass through
penetrating among the collagen
endomysium and form synapses
bundles at the myotendinous
with individual muscle fibers
junction
Schwann cells - Detects changes in tension
- Enclose the small axon branches Skeletal Muscle Fiber Types
- Cover their points of contact with
Different types of fibers can be identified on
the muscle cells
the basis of:
Neuromuscular Junction or Motor End
1. Their maximal rate of contraction
Plates
2. Their major pathway for ATP
- Axon branch forms a dilated synthesis
termination situated within a trough
on the muscle cell syrface
- Vesicle contain the
neurotransmitter Acetylcholine
3 types of fiber diversity
 a. Slow oxidative – many
mitochondria and capillaries
surrounding and have much
myoglobin
b. Fast glycolytic – specialized for rapid
short term contraction, few
mitochondria or capillaries and they
are depending largely on anaerobic
metabolism of glucose derived from
the glycogen. This fiber appears
wide
c. Fast oxidative-glycolytic
CARDIAC MUSCLE
- Striated and involuntary (branching)
- Located in the heart
- Contain intercalated disc
Intercalated disc – composed of
many Desmosomes and Fascia
Adherens to provide strong
intercellular adhesion
- Contains Dyads – T-tubule and
Terminal Cisternae
- Muscle Fiber contraction is intrinsic
and spontaneous
- Myocardium – thickest layer of the
heart
- Single Nucleus per cell
Ovoid nucleus
Nucleus are centrally located unlike
the skeletal muscle
- Cross-section show moderate
variation in the size of muscle fibers
Each cells is joined end to end by a surface
specialization called intercalated discs
Intercalated discs functions:
- Maintain firm cohesion of
successive cellular units of the
myocardium
- Transmits the pull of one contractile
unit to the next cellular unit along
the long axis of the myofibrils
Fine Longitudinal striations and transverse
striations are also found
Sarcomere is also the structural and
functional unit
The component fibers have inherent
automicity and rhythmicity
Myofibrils closely resemble those of the
skeletal muscle
Sarcoplasmic reticulum is present but not
as highly developed as skeletal muscle
Purkinje Myocytes
- Modified cardiac muscle fibers that
are specialized for impulse
conduction
- Located in the
1. Sinoatrial node at the junction
of the superior vena cava with
the right atrium
2. Atrioventricular node at the
lower part of the interatrial
septum
3. Intermodal tracts and bundle of
His
Smooth/Visceral Muscle
- Non-striated and involuntary
- Capable of slow, sustained,
resistant to fatigue contraction
- Muscle fiber is the structural and
functional unit
Smooth Muscle Fiber
 - fusiform or spindle-shaped
- Elongated nucleus situated in their
widest central portion
- Vary in their length in the different
organs (20 um to 500 um)
When in bundles or in extensive layers
- Individual fibers are off set such that
the wide portion of the cells are
adjacent to the thin tapering end of
neighboring cells
Transverse sections
- Walls of the respiratory tract from
the trachea to the alveolar ducts
- Walls of the blood vessels
- Walls of the ducts of glands
- Erector Pilli muscle found in the hair
bulb of skin
- Areola of mammary glands
- Subcutaneous tissue of the scrotum
- Urinary bladder
- Uterus
Cardiac muscles lacks of satellite cells and
has little capacity for regeneration

- Smooth muscle appear as mosaic of Regeneration is rapid in smooth muscle

irregular polygons of varying sizes because the cells/fibers are small and
- With nuclei found only in larger relatively less differentiated, which allow
cross-sections renewed mitotic activity after injury

3 kinds of filaments
- Thin actin filaments,, 4-8 nm in
diameter
F-actin and calmodulin insert into
dense bodies (contain a-actinin)
- Thicker Myosin Filaments, 15 nm
- Intermediate Filaments, 10 nm,
generally are desmin
Rudimentary sarcoplasmic reticulum
T-tubules are absent
During contraction the borders of the cell
become scalloped and the nucleus
distorted
Location of Smooth Muscles
- Walls of the digestive tract from the
middle of the esophagus to the
inner anal sphincter

QUIZLET ACADEMY TRANS


fascicle
functional unit of a muscle
Collagen
serve to transmit the mechanical forces
generated by the contracting muscle
cells/fibers
sarcomere
a repetitive functional subunit of the
contractile apparatus which extends from a
Z disc to another
myofilaments
A and I banding pattern in sarcomeres is
due mainly to the regular arrangement of
thick and thin
neuromuscular junction
a specialized synapse where action
potentials arrive to be transmitted
intercalated discs
join cardiac muscle cells
atrial natriuretic factor
acts on target cells in the kidney to affect
Na+ excretion and water balance
mitosis
regenerative mechanism of smooth muscle
cells
Skeletal muscle
contains bundles of very long,
multinucleated cells with cross-striations.
Their contraction is quick, forceful, and
usually under voluntary control
endomysium
layer of reticular fibers and scattered
fibroblasts surrounds the external lamina of
individual muscle fibers.
myosin and F-actin
components of myofilaments
titin
largest protein in the body, with scaffolding
and elastic properties, which supports the
thick myofilaments and connects them to
the Z disc
H zone
a lighter band at the center of an A band
M line
bisects H zone
myoglobin muscle cell membrane and its external
lamina
cytoplasmic protein , which contains iron
and stores oxygen molecules, giving such
fibers a red color in fresh tissue
sarcoplasmic reticulum
the smooth ER of muscle
gap junctions
provide ionic continuity in cardiac muscles
satellite cells
progenitor cells which replace and form
HYPERPLASIA muscle fiber
- increase in number of muscle cells
epimysium
Cardiac muscle an external sheath of dense connective
tissue, surrounds the entire muscle. Septa
has cross-striations and is composed
of this tissue extend inward, carrying the
of elongated, often branched cells bound to larger nerves, blood vessels, and lymphatics
one another at structures called of the muscle.
intercalated discs that are unique to cardiac
muscle. Contraction is involuntary,
vigorous, and rhythmic. perimysium
is a thin connective tissue layer that
immediately surrounds each bundle of
Smooth muscle
muscle fibers
consists of collections of fusiform
cells that lack striations and have slow,
myotendinous junctions
involuntary contractions.
is where epimysium continues with dense
regular connective tissue of tendon
sarcoplasm
The cytoplasm of muscle
A band
dark staining band of muscle fiber

sarcolemma
I band
light staining band of muscle fiber This enzyme catalyzes transfer of
phosphate
groups from phosphocreatine, a storage
Z disc
form of high-energy
a dark transverse line bisecting each I band
phosphate groups, to ADP, helping to
supply ATP for muscle contraction

myofibrils
long cylindrical filament bundles in sarcoplasmic reticulum
sarcoplasm
responsible for Ca sequestration in muscles

a-actinin
depolarization
anchors actin filaments on the Z disc
is the change of charge of a channel causing
open of voltage-gated channels

troponin and tropomyosin

regulatory proteins associated with thin T (transverse) tubules
filaments
sarcolemma invaginations where signals
pass along

nebulin
binds each thin myofilament laterally, helps rigor mortis
anchor them to α-actinin, and specifies the
stiffness of muscle after death
length of the actin polymers during
myogenesis
acetylcholine
myomesin muscle neurotransmitters
byosin-binding protein found in the M line
holding thick filaments in place
intrafusal fibers
concentric layers of flattened cells,
containing interstitial fluid and a few thin
muscle fibers filled with nuclei
Golgi tendon organs
creatinine kinase
much smaller encapsulated structures that
enclose sensory axons penetrating among
the collagen bundles at the myotendinous
junction
desmosomes and fascia adherens
bind cardiac muscle cells firmly
Which protein anchors actin filaments
perpendicularly to the Z disc?
Satellite cells
Progenitor cells adjacent to most fibers of
differentiated skeletal muscle
I band = lighter band comprised of thin
filaments, titin, and other accessory
proteins

HYPERTROPHY
Z disc = bisects I band
- increase in muscle cell volume

A band = darker band comprised of thick

caveolae filaments both alone and overlapping with
membrane invaginations of smooth muscle thin filaments
cells for communication

H zone = lighter portion in center of A band

calmodulin comprised solely of the tails of myosin
filaments (no thin filaments in the H zone)
smooth muscles lacking troponin, instead,
uses
M line = bisects the H zone

fibroblast proliferation
regenerative mechanism of cardiac muscle
cells

dystrophin

A large actin-binding protein located just

within the sarcolemma of skeletal muscle
fibers that is involved in the functional
organization of myofibrils

Alpha-actinin
What is true of intercalated disks? The basal lamina of a muscle fiber is a part
of which structure?
Include desmosomes, fascia adherens, and
gap junctions Endomysium

Which protein in the troponin complex Which structure surrounds a muscle fasicle?
inhibits the binding of myosin to actin?
Perimysium
TnI

Which characteristic is unique to skeletal

Which filamentous protein winds around F- muscle cells?
actin and lies in grooves in its surface?
Contains triads
Tropomyosin

Which characteristic is unique to cardiac

Which description is true of motor units? muscle cells?
Motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it Often branched
supplies

Which characteristic is unique to smooth

Which description is true of sarcoplasmic muscle?
reticulum of skeletal muscle?
Thin filaments attach to dense bodies
Is a specialized form of SER

Which description is true of thick filaments?

Which description is true of skeletal muscle
Contain ATPase
myosin?
Head includes an actin binding site
Which description is true of thin filaments?
Found in the A band
Which feature typifies T tubules?
Carry depolarization to the muscle fiber
interior
What sequence does membrane
depolarization follow in skeletal muscle
fibers after acetylcholine binds to its
receptor?
Sarcolemma, T tubule, terminal cisternae,
sarcoplasmic reticulum

Which tissue type most often replaces

cardiac muscle damaged by a myocardial
infarction?
Dense connective tissue

Which description is true of synaptic clefts

of myoneural junctions?
One primary and many secondary clefts

Which feature of skeletal muscle is most

directly proportionate to the strength of
contraction?
Fiber diamter

In smooth muscle, calcium released by the

smooth ER initiates contraction by binding
to protein. Which protein is involved in this
process?
Calmodulin