Muscle Tissue

Learning Objectives
• Describe the structure of a muscle and
muscle fiber
• Outline the mechanism of muscle
contraction
• Use a myogram to describe muscle activity
• Contrast skeletal, cardiac, and smooth
muscle
• Identify selected skeletal muscles
 Skeletal Muscle
• attaches to bone, skin, or
fascia
• alternating light and dark
bands (striations) on cells
• under control
Muscle Functions
• give shape
• produce movement
• maintain posture
• support other structures
• generate heat
• regulate organ volumes
(sphincters)
 Muscles to explore in the lab
Orbicularis oris Orbicularis oculi
Masseter
Sternocleidomastoid
Trapezius
Latissimus dorsi Scalenes
Rectus abdominis Deltoid
Brachioradialis Pectoralis major
External oblique Biceps brachii
Tensor fasciae latae Brachialis
Iliacus Pronator teres
Psoas major Brachioradialis
Adductor longus Flexor digitorum superficialis
Sartorius Serratus anterior
Gracilis
Vastus lateralis
Rectus femoris Tibialis anterior
Vastus medialis Fibularis longus
Gastrocnemius
Soleus (a) Anterior view
Muscles to explore in the lab
Sternocleidomastoid
Trapezius
Infraspinatus
Deltoid
Teres minor
Brachialis
Teres major
Triceps brachii
Latissimus dorsi
External oblique
Extensor digitorum
Brachioradialis
Gluteus medius
Gluteus maximus
Gracilis
Adductor magnus
Gastrocnemius
Semitendinosus
Soleus Semimembranosus
Flexor digitorum longus
Sartorius
(b) Posterior view
 Composition
• skeletal muscles are composed
of bundles of muscle fibers
called
• fascicles consist of bundles of
elongated, striated muscle cells
(muscle fibers)
 Muscle components
muscle

bone
fascicle

muscle fiber
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Connective Tissue Components
muscle
epimysium
(surrounds entire
muscle)
bone
fascicle
perimysium
(surrounds individual
fascicles)

muscle fiber
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 endomysium
(surrounds individual muscle fibers)

fascicle

muscle fiber

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 Connective Tissue
components
• all connective tissue layers
(epimysium, perimysium,
endomysium) extend beyond the
muscle belly
to form the
tendon
Nerve and Blood Supply
• each muscle is supplied by a
nerve, artery, vein
• each muscle fiber is supplied by a
motor neuron and 1-2 capillaries
(located in the endomysium)
• each motor neuron innervates
several muscle cells (motor unit)
 Muscle Fiber
• long, cylindrical, multinucleated cell
sarcolemma
 Sarcoplasm
sarcoplasm

• most of volume occupied by myofibrils

• also contains glycogen and myoglobin
(red-coloured protein that binds
oxygen)
 Transverse Tubules
T tubule

• invaginations of sarcolemma
• carry muscle action potentials deep
into sarcoplasm
Sarcoplasmic Reticulum
sarcoplasmic
reticulum

• endoplasmic reticulum of muscle

cell
• storehouse for Ca2+
 Myofibrils
myofibrils

sarcomere

• extend entire length of muscle fiber

• long chains of
 The Sarcomere
sarcomere

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Z-disc M-line Z-disc

 The Sarcomere
sarcomere

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Z-disc M-line Z-disc

• region between adjacent Z-discs

• basic functional unit of striated muscle
• composed of overlapping thick and
thin filaments
 Filaments
I band A band I band

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• thick and thin filaments overlap

each other in a pattern that creates
striations (dark A bands and light
I bands)
 Muscle proteins
• myofibrils contain 3 kinds of
protein:
– proteins (myosin and
actin)
–regulatory proteins that turn
contraction on and off (troponin
and tropomyosin)
 Muscle proteins
–structural proteins that provide
proper alignment, elasticity and
extensibility (titin, myomesin,
nebulin and dystrophin)
 Thick and Thin
Filaments
thin filament thin filament
thick filament

Z disc M line Z disc

sarcomere
 Thick Filaments
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• composed of
– myosin molecule resembles two golf
clubs twisted together
– myosin heads (cross bridges) extend
toward the thin filaments
• held in place by the M line proteins.
 Thin Filaments

• consist of actin, troponin, tropomyosin

• in relaxed muscle, myosin-binding site
on each actin molecule is covered by
tropomyosin supported by troponin
• held in place by Z disc proteins
 Titin
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titin titin

• third most plentiful protein in

skeletal muscle
• huge molecule
• anchors thick filament to the Z disc
and M line
 Sliding Filament Mechanism
of Contraction
• myosin cross bridges
pull on thin filaments
• thin filaments slide
inward
• Z discs come toward
each other
 Sliding Filament Mechanism
of Contraction
• sarcomeres shorten
→ the muscle fiber
shortens → the
muscle shortens
• the thick and thin
filaments
SHORTEN
Mechanism of
Contraction
Neuromuscular Junction
motor neuron

muscle fiber

• synapse between a motor neuron

and skeletal muscle fiber
 Mechanism of Contraction
1. nerve impulse reaches an axon
terminal, synaptic vesicles release
ACh
2. ACh opens Na+ channels and Na+
rushes into the muscle cell
3. a muscle action potential spreads
across the sarcolemma, down into the
transverse tubules
Neuromuscular Junction
sarcolemma
synaptic
end bulb

Ach
Ach
Ach
 Mechanism of Contraction

Sarcolemma depolarizes
(Ach, Na+ moves in)
Axon terminal
Mechanism of Contraction
T-tubules depolarize
 Mechanism of Contraction
4. SR releases Ca2+ into the sarcoplasm
5. Ca2+ binds to troponin, causes
troponin-tropomyosin complex to
move exposing myosin binding sites
on actin
6. the contraction cycle begins
Mechanism of Contraction
Ca++ Ca++

Ca++ Ca++

Calcium binds
Mechanism of Contraction
Ca++ Ca++

Ca++ Ca++

Troponin-tropomyosin complex
moves to free up binding sites
The Contraction Cycle
• repeating sequence of events that
cause the thick and thin filaments
to move past each other
Steps in the Contraction Cycle
myosin heads myosin heads
activated by ATP bind to actin
(crossbridge)

myosin heads power stroke

(myosin heads
bind ATP, pull actin towards
crossbridges detach centre of sarcomere)
The Contraction Cycle
• cycle repeats continuously as long
as:
– is available
–Ca2+ level near the troponin-
tropomyosin complex is high
 Relaxation
• enzyme breaks down ACh within
the synaptic cleft
• muscle action potential ceases
• Ca2+ channels close
• Ca pumped back into the SR by
2+

active transport
• troponin-tropomyosis complex
covers binding site on the actin
 Relaxation

• lack of Ca2+ causes troponin-

tropomyosin complex to cover
myosin-binding site on actin
Fig 10:10
Muscle Metabolism
 Production of ATP in
Muscle Fibers
• active muscle uses ATP rapidly
• sarcoplasmic ATP lasts only a few

• 3 sources of ATP production within

muscle
– creatine phosphate
– anaerobic cellular respiration
– aerobic cellular respiration
 Creatine Phosphate

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• produced in resting muscle from excess

ATP
• 3-6 times more plentiful than ATP
within muscle
• source of rapid ATP production
(sustains max contraction for )
Anaerobic Cellular Respiration
• splits
glucose into pyruvic
acid + ATP
• if no O2 present,
pyruvic acid → lactic
acid, diffuses to blood
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• can provide ATP for ~2min of

maximal activity
 Aerobic Cellular Respiration

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• occurs in mitochondria if O2 available

• provides ATP for activity lasting over
~30 seconds
• source of almost all ATP for activity
lasting >2 min
 Muscle Fatigue
• inability to contract forcefully
after prolonged activity
• preceded by central fatigue
(feeling of tiredness and desire
to stop activity)
 Muscle Fatigue
• may be due to:
–depletion of
– Ca2 + within the sarcoplasm
• contributing factors:
– or glycogen
– lactic acid, ADP
–insufficient Ach release from
motor neurons
 The Motor Unit

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• somatic motor neuron and all skeletal

muscle fibers it stimulates
• average 150 muscle fibers per motor unit
• contract in
• strength of contraction depends on the
size and number of motor units activated
 Twitch Contraction
• brief contraction of all fibers in a
motor unit in response to a single
action potential in its motor
neuron
 Myogram

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• graph of a muscle contraction

–action potential lasts msec
–twitch contraction lasts 20-200 msec
 Twitch contraction
Latent Period
• lasts about 2 msec
• Ca2+ released from
SR
• shortening
occurs yet
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 Twitch contraction
Contraction Period
• lasts 10-100 msec
• filaments slide past
each other

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 Twitch contraction
Relaxation Period
• lasts 10-100 msec
• Ca2+ actively
transported back
into
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 Refractory Period
• time following stimulation when
muscle (or nerve) cell cannot
respond
• lasts ~5 msec in skeletal muscle,
300 msec in cardiac muscle
 Wave Summation
• occurs when second stimulation
applied (after the refractory period)
before fiber is completely relaxed
• second contraction is stronger

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 Unfused Tetanus
• stimulation 20-30 times/second →
sustained but wavering contraction
(only partial relaxation between
stimuli)

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 Fused Tetanus
• stimulation 80-100 times/second →
sustained contraction with no relaxation
between stimuli

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Summation and Tetanus
• wave summation and tetanus
result from additional Ca2+
release from SR during
subsequent stimulations
• force of 2nd contraction is
added to the first
 Graded Responses
• muscle cells obey “all or
nothing” law but muscle
contraction can be graded (vary)
 Graded Responses
• graded responses are achieved by:
– changing the frequency of
muscle fiber stimulation
– changing the number of fibers
stimulated
 Muscle Tone
• contraction of a small number of
motor units (alternately active and
inactive in a constantly shifting
pattern)
• keeps muscles firm even though
relaxed
• important for maintaining posture
and blood pressure
Isotonic vs. Isometric
Isotonic contraction
• contraction → muscle shortens →
movement (e.g., )
Isometric contraction
• contraction → increased muscle
tension, but no shortening → no
movement (e.g., )
 Cardiac Muscle

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• striated branching fibers

• single centrally located nucleus
• cells connected by intercalated discs
• same arrangement of thick and thin
filaments as skeletal muscle
 Cardiac Muscle
• more sarcoplasm and mitochondria
than skeletal muscle
• less SR and intracellular Ca2+
reserves (during contraction, more
Ca2+ enters cell from extracellular
fluid)
• contraction that last 10-15 times
longer than in skeletal muscle
Smooth Muscle
• (single-unit)
– in the walls of
hollow viscera, small
blood vessels
– gap junctions cause
fibers to contract in
unison
Smooth Muscle
•
– individual fibers with
own motor neuron
ending
– found in large
arteries, large
airways, arrector pili
muscles, iris, ciliary
body