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Introduction
 Human body contains over 400 skeletal muscles
 40-50% of total body weight

Functions of skeletal muscle

 Body movement (Locomotion)
 Maintenance of posture
 Respiration
 Diaphragm and intercostal contractions
 Communication (Verbal and Facial)
 Constriction of organs andvessels
 Peristalsis of intestinal tract
 Vasoconstriction of b.v. and other structures (pupils)
 Production of body heat (Thermogenesis)
Skeletal Muscle Characteristics

Most are attached by tendons to bones

Cells are multinucleate
Striated – have visible banding
Voluntary – subject to conscious control
Cells are surrounded and bundled by
connective tissue = great force, but tires
easily
 Terms
 Sarcolemma = Cell membrane
 Sarcoplasm = Cytoplasm
 Sarcoplasmic Reticulum =
Endoplasmic Reticulum
 Sarcosomes = Mitochontria
 Structure of skeletal muscle:
connective tissue covering
 Epimysium
 Surrounds entire muscle
 Perimysium
 Surrounds bundles of musclefibers
 Endomysium
 Surrounds individual muscle fibers

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Skeletal muscle structure
 Composed of muscle cells (fibers),
connective tissue, blood vessels,
nerves
 Fibers are long, cylindrical,and
multinucleated
 Tend to be smaller diameter in small
muscles and larger in large muscles.1
mm- 4 cm in length
•Develop from myoblasts;
numbers remain constant
•Striated appearance
•Nuclei are peripherally
located
Embryologic origin:
 Muscle fiber anatomy
 Sarcolemma - cell membrane
 Surrounds the sarcoplasm (cytoplasm of fiber)
 Contains manyof the same organellesseen in othercells
 An abundance of the oxygen-binding protein myoglobin
 Punctuated by openings called the transverse tubules(T-tubules)
 Narrow tubes thatextend into thesarcoplasmat rightangles to
thesurface
 Filled with extracellularfluid
 Myofibrils -cylindrical structures within musclefiber
 Are bundles of protein filaments(=myofilaments)
 Two types of myofilaments
1. Actin filaments (thin filaments)
2. Myosin filaments (thick filaments)

– At each end of the fiber, myofibrilsareanchored to the innersurface

of the sarcolemma
– When myofibril shortens, muscle shortens(contracts)
 Muscle proteins
Contractileproteins
 Actin- thin myofiliment
Myosin- thick filament
Regulatory proteins
 Tropomyosin
Troponin
Attachmentproteins
 Titin, nebulin, alpha actinin,dystrophin
Structure of Actin and Myosin
 Thin Filament: composed of 3 major
proteins
1. F (fibrous) actin
2. Tropomyosin Actin (Thin)
3. Troponin
 Two strands of fibrous (F) actinform
a double helix extending the length
Myofilaments
of the myofilament; attached at
either end atsarcomere.
 Composed of G actin monomers
each of which has a myosin-
binding site
 Actin site can bind myosinduring
musclecontraction.
 Tropomyosin: an elongated protein
winds along the grooveof the F actin
double helix.
 Troponin is composed of three
subunits:
 Tn-A : binds toactin
 Tn-T :binds totropomyosin,
 Tn-C :binds to calciumions.
  Many elongated myosinmolecules
shaped like golf clubs.
 Single filament contains roughly300
Myosin (Thick) 
myosin molecules
Molecule consists of two heavy myosin
moleculeswound togetherto form a rod
Myofilament portion lying parallel to the myosin
myofilament and two heads thatextend
laterally.
 Myosin heads
1. Can bind to active sites on the actin
molecules to form cross-bridges.
(Actin binding site)
2. Attached to the rod portion by a
hinge region that can bend and
straighten duringcontraction.
3. Have ATPase activity: activity that
breaks down adenosine
triphosphate (ATP), releasing
energy. Part of the energy is used to
bend the hinge region of themyosin
molecule during contraction
  Sarcomere - repeating functional units of
a myofibril
 About 10,000 sarcomeres per
Sarcomeres: Z Disk myofibril, end to end
 Each is about 2 µm long
to Z Disk  Differences in size, density, and
distribution of thick and thin filaments
gives the muscle fiber a banded or striated
appearance.
 A bands: a dark band; full length of thick
(myosin) filament
 M line - protein to which myosinsattach
 H zone - thick but NO thin filaments
 I bands: a light band; from Z disks to endsof
thick filaments
 Thin but NO thick filaments
 Extends from A band of one sarcomere to A
band of the next sarcomere
 Z disk: filamentous network of protein.
Serves as attachment for actin myofilaments
 Titin filaments: elastic chains of amino
acids; keep thick and thin filaments in
proper alignment
 Sarcoplasmic Reticulum (SR)
 SR is an elaborate, smoothendoplasmic
reticulum
 runs longitudinally and surroundseach myofibril
 Form chambers called terminal cisternae oneither
side of theT-tubules
 A single T-tubule and the 2 terminal cisternae
form a triad
 SR stores Ca++ when muscle not contracting
 When stimulated, calcium released intosarcoplasm
 SR membrane has Ca++ pumps that function topump
Ca++ out of the sarcoplasm back into the SR after
contraction
Sarcoplasmic Reticulum (SR)

Figure 9.5
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26
Muscular Contraction
 The sliding filamentmodel
 Muscle shortening occurs due to the movement of the
actin filament over the myosinfilament
 Formation of cross-bridges between actin andmyosin
filaments
 Reduction in the distance between Z-lines of the
sarcomere

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Sliding Filament Theory
 Rest – uncharged ATP cross-bridge complex
 Excitation-coupling – charged ATP cross-bridge
complex, “turned on”
 Contraction – actomyosin – ATP > ADP & Pi +
energy
 Recharging – reload cross-bridge with ATP
 Relaxation – cross-bridges “turned off”

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Sliding Filament Model of
Contraction
 Thin filaments slide past the thick ones so that the
actin and myosin filaments overlapto a greater degree
 In the relaxed state, thin and thick filaments overlap
onlyslightly
 Upon stimulation, myosin heads bind to actin and
sliding begins
Cross-Bridge Formation in Muscle
Contraction
 Myosin ATPase Cycle

ADP

Pi
EM Shows Different TM positions along the Actin Filament

Relaxed Ca-Activated Rigor Ca-Activated

X-bridge

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Excitation-Contraction Coupling

 Mechanism where an
action potentialcauses
muscle fiber
contraction
 Involves
 Sarcolemma
 Transverse or Ttubules
 Terminalcisternae
 Sarcoplasmicreticulum
 Ca2+
 Troponin
Sources of ATP for Muscle
Contraction
Energy Sources
 ATP provides immediate energy formuscle
contractions from 3 sources
 Creatine phosphate
 During resting conditionsstoresenergy tosynthesize ATP

 Anaerobic respiration
 Occurs in absence of oxygenand results in breakdownof
glucose toyield ATPand lacticacid
 Aerobic respiration
 Requiresoxygenand breaks down glucose to produce
ATP, carbon dioxide andwater
 More efficient thananaerobic
Energy for Muscle Contraction
Direct phosphorylation
Muscle cells contain creatine
phosphate (CP)
CP is a high-energy
molecule
After ATP is depleted, ADP is
left
CP transfers energy to
ADP, to regenerate ATP
CP supplies are exhausted in
about 20 seconds
© 2003 Inc. p u b l i sh i n g as
Energy for Muscle Contraction

Anaerobic glycolysis
Reaction that breaks
down glucose without
oxygen
Glucose is broken down
to pyruvic acid to
produce some ATP
Pyruvic acid is
converted to lactic acid
© 2003 Inc. publishing asFigBuerenj6.a1m0bin C u m m i n g s S4li0de
Energy for Muscle Contraction
Aerobic Respiration
Series of metabolic
pathways that occur in
the mitochondria
Glucose is broken down
to carbon dioxide and
water, releasing energy
This is a slower reaction
that requires continuous
oxygen

© 2003 Inc. p u b l i sh i n g a s Figure

B e n j6.10c
amin Cummings Slide 64.21 5