BY 30 – Fall 2001

LECTURE 15:  Muscle Tissue I

Study Outline

 

15.1.  Overview of Muscle Tissue

a.      The three types of muscle tissue are _______________________________; ___________________________; and ______________________________.  Of the three, _________________________ and _______________________ are striated whereas _____________________________ is not.  Of the three, _______________________ is voluntary while ________________________ and __________________________ are not.

b.     The five functions of muscle tissue are ______________________________; ____________________________; _________________________________; ____________________________; and ______________________________.

c.      The functions of producing body movements and stabilizing body positions is largely accomplished by _________________________________ muscle.  In contrast, regulation of organ volume and moving substances within the body is done by __________________________ muscle.  One way that substances are controlled in terms of leaving organs is through smooth muscle structures called ___________________________.  The type of muscle responsible for moving blood is called __________________________ muscle.

d.     The type of muscle responsible for generating body heat is ___________________________________ muscle.  Specifically when body temperature falls, contraction of this muscle, called _____________________, produces heat which raises body temperature.

e.      The four properties of muscle cells are that they have ___________________ membranes; they have the  ability to ____________________________; they can also be stretched (a property known as ___________________________); and they have ___________________________ meaning that their shape and length can return to normal following contraction or extension.

f.       Skeletal muscle contraction can be _________________________ when there is an increase in tension but no change in length; or _____________________ when there is a change in length while maintaining constant tension.

 

15.2.  Structure of Skeletal Muscle

a.      Each muscle in the body (e.g., biceps, triceps, etc.) is considered to be a(n) ______________________________ because it contains all four of the basic _____________________________.  Of these the most important tissue type present is called _____________________________.

b.     Each skeletal muscle cell is called a ________________________________.

c.      Within a skeletal muscle, there are a number of connective tissue structures, which include the ______________________; _______________________; and ________________________.  Of these, it is the __________________ that surrounds the entire muscle, while the ___________________________ penetrates inward to encircle groups of 10-100 skeletal muscle fibers forming bundles called __________________________.  The __________________ surrounds individual skeletal muscle fibers. 

d.     Muscles attach to bones by _____________________________.  When these structures are broad and flat, it is called a(n) __________________________.

e.      Each skeletal muscle fiber contains _____________________ nuclei clustered at the ___________________________ of the cell.  This situation results from their embryonic development in which each skeletal muscle fiber is formed by fusion of __________________________.  Following this process the muscle fiber becomes _____________________ so that any increase in muscle mass is due to an increase in _________________, not ______________________.

f.       The plasma membrane of a skeletal muscle fiber is called the __________________________; the cytoplasm is called the __________________________; and the smooth endoplasmic reticulum is called the _______________________________.

g.      The sarcolemma is invaginated to form ________________________, which conduct action potentials into the cell interior.

h.      The sarcoplasm contains many ____________________________ reflecting the high ATP requirements of these cells, along with a O2 binding protein called _________________________.  There are also __________________ deposits which serve as glucose reservoirs. 

i.       The contractile units of muscle are contained within ____________________, each of which is only about 2 mm (= microns) in diameter.  Disuse atrophy involves the ____________________________ of myofibrils whereas muscle hypertrophy involves the _________________________ of myofibrils.

j.       Encircling each myofibril is a portion of the __________________________ that serves as a storehouse for _________________.  At the junction with T tubules, the SR dilates to form structures called _______________________.  The combination of two terminal cisternas and a T tubule is called a(n) ________________________.

k.      The basic structural unit of the myofibril is the _________________________ defined as the region between two successive _________________________.  Muscle contraction involves ______________________ shortening and is due to the interaction of _____________________ and _____________________ filaments.

l.       The pattern of striations seen in skeletal muscle is due to the overlap of thick and thin filaments giving rise to: _________________________ which are the darker middle portion of the sarcomere, consisting mostly of _____________ filaments;  ______________________________ which are the lighter staining region to either side of the A bands which has the ______________________ in the middle; the _______________________ zone which is the part of the A band with only thick filaments; and the ______________________ line which runs down the middle of the A band.

m.    Each thick filament consists of about 300 ____________________ molecules, each with a ________________________ that lines up in parallel forming the shaft of the thick filament and ___________________ groups which stick out.

n.      Each thin filament consists of ______________________ monomers joined together to form a helical molecule.  Each actin monomer has a ___________ binding site which is normally covered by a __________________________ molecule.  Also connected to the tropomyosin molecule is _____________________________, another regulatory protein.

o.     The structural protein that extends from Z disc to M line is ______________ which serves to anchor __________________________ to Z discs.  Also, the portion that attaches to the ____________________________ is very elastic, which imparts elasticity to the myofibril.

 

15.3.  The Neuromuscular Junction

a.      Skeletal muscle fibers only contract in response to ______________________ that arise from cells known as _________________________ which reside in the __________________ of the spinal cord or _______________________.

b.     Axons from a motor neurons divide as they approach a skeletal muscle, each branch goes to __________________ skeletal muscle fiber. 

c.      A ______________________ is defined as an a motor neuron along with all the skeletal muscle fibers that it supplies.  Motor units contract as a ________________________________.

d.     The size of motor units vary with muscle ____________________________.  For example, muscles that control precise movements tend to have _____________________ motor units, while muscles that provide power have _____________________ motor units.  ______________________ refers to the progressive activation of motor units producing a smooth increase in muscle tension.

e.      The synapse between a nerve and skeletal muscle is called the __________________________, of which each skeletal muscle cell has ______________________.  The region of the sarcolemma that takes part is called the _______________________________.

f.       The neurotransmitter at the NMJ is _______________________, which binds to ______________________ ACh receptors on the sarcolemma.  Activation of these receptors allows ____________________ to enter these cells producing a local ________________________ current.  This in turn brings the sarcolemma to ________________________________ generating an _________________ which propogates down the sarcolemma.  ACh activity is terminated by an enzyme called ________________________.

g.      Of the various agents that can affect NMJ function, ____________________ blocks the release of synaptic vesicles while _____________________ binds to and blocks the nicotinic ACh receptors.  In either case, skeletal muscles can’t contract and patients often die due to paralysis of the ______________.  By contrast ___________________________ prevent ACh from being broken down and thus prolong the effects of ACh.  These agents are used clinically to treat patients that have been poisoned with _________________________ or ________________________________; or who have the disease ________________________________, an autoimmune disease where antibodies block ACh receptors making the muscles weak.