Systems Biology
In the anatomy of a skeletal muscle fiber, whole skeletal muscles are broken down into numerous fascicles, and each fascicle consists of bundles of muscle fibers, or myocytes. Each muscle cell is surrounded by a sarcolemma, a specialized cell membrane. Inside the muscle fibers are smaller structures called myofibrils, which contain two kinds of filaments: thick filaments made of myosin and thin filaments consisting of actin, troponin, and tropomyosin proteins. The sarcoplasmic reticulum, a modified smooth endoplasmic reticulum, surrounds myofibrils and stores calcium ions, essential for actin-myosin interactions.
Sarcomeres are the repeated, contractile units within each myofibril and are responsible for muscle contraction. These structures align parallel to each other and end-to-end, resulting in the characteristic banding or striated pattern of skeletal muscle. Sarcomeres are defined by Z-lines on either end, which connect adjacent sarcomeres. The protein titin anchors actin and myosin to the Z-line and to each other, functioning like a spring to prevent overstretching during contraction. Sarcomeres also contain an A-band, which spans the length of the thick myosin filament, an I-band containing only thin filaments, an M-line dividing the sarcomere up the middle, and an H-zone on either side of the M-line between opposite ends of thin filaments.
Lesson Outline
<ul> <li>Introduction to skeletal muscle fibers and sarcomeres</li> <ul> <li>Skeletal muscles manipulate the skeleton producing movement</li> <li>Whole skeletal muscles broken down into fascicles, consisting of muscle fibers (myocytes)</li> </ul> <li>Muscle fiber structure</li> <ul> <li>Myofibrils inside muscle fibers</li> <li>Sarcolemma - specialized cell membrane surrounding muscle fibers</li> </ul> <li>Filaments in myofibrils</li> <ul> <li>Thick filaments (myosin) and thin filaments (actin, troponin, and tropomyosin)</li> </ul> <li>Sarcoplasmic reticulum</li> <ul> <li>Modified, smooth endoplasmic reticulum found in muscle fibers</li> <li>Stores calcium ions that influence actin-myosin interactions</li> <li>Surrounds myofibrils</li> </ul> <li>Sarcomeres – contractile units within myofibrils</li> <ul> <li>Responsible for shortening during muscle contractions</li> <li>Align parallel and end to end throughout a skeletal muscle fiber myofibril</li> <li>Striation due to repetition and overlapping pattern of filaments</li> </ul> <li>Parts of a sarcomere</li> <ul> <li>Z-lines: mark ends of adjacent sarcomeres</li> <li>Titin: anchors actin and myosin, prevents overstretching</li> <li>A-band: spans length of thick myosin filament, appears darker</li> <li>I-band: contains thin filaments, spans Z-band, lighter in color</li> <li>M-line: divides sarcomere up the middle</li> <li>H-zone: area on either side of M-line between opposite ends of thin filaments</li> </ul> </ul>
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FAQs
A skeletal muscle fiber is a long, cylindrical, multinucleated cell that makes up skeletal muscle. It consists of myofibrils, which are organized into repetitive units called sarcomeres, the basic contracting units of muscle. Thick and thin filaments within the sarcomeres, composed of myosin and actin proteins respectively, produce muscle contractions by sliding past each other. A network of tubules called the sarcoplasmic reticulum surrounds each myofibril and is responsible for regulating the calcium concentration in the muscle cell during contraction and relaxation.
Sarcomeres, located within myofibrils, are the functional units of skeletal muscle fibers. Each sarcomere contains overlapping thick and thin filaments, composed of myosin and actin proteins, respectively. During muscle contraction, the myosin heads in thick filaments form cross-bridges with the actin in thin filaments. As myosin heads pivot and release, they pull the actin filaments towards the center of the sarcomere. This process is known as the sliding filament theory. The simultaneous contraction of many sarcomeres causes the entire muscle fiber to contract.
The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is a network of tubules that surrounds the myofibrils in a skeletal muscle fiber. The primary function of the SR is to store and release calcium ions. When an action potential is generated and transmitted to the muscle fiber, it triggers the voltage-sensitive channels in the SR to release calcium ions. The released calcium binds to troponin, allowing the myosin-actin cross-bridge cycle to occur and causing muscle contraction. During relaxation, calcium is pumped back into the SR, and the myosin-binding sites on actin are masked again, causing the muscle fiber to relax.
Thick filaments and thin filaments are the main components of skeletal muscle fiber sarcomeres. Thick filaments are primarily composed of the protein myosin. The myosin molecules contain heads that extend outwards, capable of forming cross-bridges with actin proteins in thin filaments. Thin filaments, on the other hand, are composed of actin proteins and associated regulatory proteins, such as troponin and tropomyosin. During muscle contraction, myosin heads in thick filaments bind to actin in thin filaments, pulling them towards the center of the sarcomere, causing muscle contraction.
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