Exam #1_Semester 2 Flashcards
muscle type - skeletal
Voluntary
Striated; multi-nucleated
Controlled by the somatic nervous system – cell are quiet until stimulated
Makes up large %age of body mass (40-45%)
Ca+2 contained within SR
muscle type - smooth
No striations; contractile components are organized differently; contractions “ball-up” fibers
Cells are small but lengthy (smallest of 3 types)
Controlled by the autonomic nervous system – large hormonal influence
- myosin-based regulation
“Dense bodies” act like z-lines b/c they anchor thin and thick filaments
Ca+2 comes from extracellular area (as well as SR)
muscle type - cardiac
Striated; bi-nucleate
Modulated by the autonomic nervous system – somewhat automatic
Actin-based regulation
Much smaller than skeletal muscle cells
Exhibit branching with extensive gap junctions allowing for electrical coupling - intercalated discs
Ca+2 contained within SR
skeletal muscle fiber
20-90 microns in diameter, but centimeters in length
Contains the myofibril – the contractile/regulatory apparatus
There are highly ordered arrays of myofibrils within muscle fibers
Multinucleated
Sarcolema = plasma membrane
Sarcoplasm = cytoplasm
Basement membrane = reticular fibers rich in collagen; contribute to tension of muscle cells
myofibril
contractile / regulatory unit of the muscle fiber (many myofibrils within a muscle fiber)
- composed of many proteins; we focus on a few (actin, myosin, tropomyosin, troponin, titin)
sarcolemma
plasma membrane of muscle fiber / cell
- appears porous: entry points for t-tubule system
sarcoplasm
cytoplasm of muscle fiber / cell
basement membrane
reticular fibers rich in collagen on muscle cell; contribute to tension of muscle cells
myofiber
muscle fiber / cell
reticular fibers
consist of collagen and elastin and thus are capable of stretching
• Responsible, although other components contribute, for the passive tension of muscle cell
T-tubules
extensions of the muscle cell sarcolemma; extend into sarcoplasm and has intimate relationship with sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)
sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)
envelopes sarcomere in muscle cells; sequesters Ca+2 to keep sarcoplasmic levels low until stimulation occurs
sarcomere
contractile (functional) until of muscle fiber; distance b’t two z lines; made up of actin (think filaments) and myosin (thick filaments)
A-band
Anisotropic band: comprised of the thick filaments of the contractile unit due to the presence of myosin. Also includes think filaments in this area.
The length of the A band does not change in response to contractions (it is the length of thick filament)
Cross-section shows 6 thin filaments around 1 thick filament
I-band
Isotropic band: less dense, contains only the thin filaments of the contractile apparatus, no thick filaments; spans the Z line
• Length of I band decreases as muscle contracts
H zone
Includes M proteins of thick (heavy) filament; only thick filament
• No overlap of thick and thin filaments
• Can change length during contraction
Z-band
thin filaments are anchored to z-band
myosin filaments
thick filaments surrounded by myosin head groups (meromyosin) - possesses ATPase enzymatic activity
- allows interaction with actin (thin) filaments
actin filaments
Tropomyosin proteins embed themselves in the groove created by actin monomers
Associated with the tropomyosin are 3 types of Troponin, that act as the regulatory elements that influence the ability of the head group (meromyosin) of the thick filaments to interact with actin monomers
Three troponin molecules
interact with tropomyosin molecules to facilitate the “switch mechanism”
o TnT = Tropomyosin binding
o TnC = Calcium binding protein (at rest, troponin has no relation with Ca+2
o TnI = Inhibitory, prevents interaction between myosin head group and thin filament (cross bridge formation)
intercalated discs
finger-like projections that create a large amount of surface area between adjacent cardiac myocytes, allowing for decreased electrical resistance via introduction of gap junctions and other machinery
Common features between 3 muscle types
Contractile proteins are actin and myosin
Myosin possesses enzymatic activity (ATPase – hydrolyzes ATP)
- Different muscle types do this at different speeds
Cells shorten as a consequence of actin-myosin interaction
Differences between 3 muscle types
Regulation of contractile activity
o Actin-based in skeletal and cardiac
o Myosin based in smooth muscle – phosphorylation
Sustainability of contractile force
o Smooth muscle is greatest / can sustain longer durations
Type and actions of NTs and hormones
o Note – hormones only for cardiac and smooth, no skeletal
motor unit
functional unit of skeletal muscle
single motor neuron (alpha motor neuron) and each of the muscle fibers that neuron innervates
Note: direct neural conductivity goes from CNS to periphery (1 motor neuron), thus, a depolarization that is large enough will cause a response
excitation-contraction coupling
basic aspect of neuromuscular transmission
entire electrophysiologic response is over before contraction of muscle fiber begins; electrical activity (AP) is completed prior to onset of contractile activity
Allows for sustained contraction - APs can continue to fire in muscle cells since absolute and relative periods end prior to contraction
temporal summation
repetitive stimulation of a muscle fiber results in production of greater contractile force
- sustained contraction is result of frequent enough triggering of muscle fiber APs
- results in saturating cytoplasmic Ca+2 instead of transient increase)
motor end-plate
aka: neuromuscular junction
interface between axon terminal and muscle fiber surface
acetylcholinesterase (ACHE)
enzyme on post-synaptic membrane that hydrolyzes acetylcholine into acetate and choline
- Terminating its biological activity (can’t bind receptors) = transient nature of signaling
- Primary way that the actions of AC are terminated at NMJ
choline acetyltransferase (CAT or ChAT)
uses choline and acetyl-CoA to synthesize acetylcholine
calsequestrin
protein that binds free Ca+2 in SR; must dissociate with Ca+2 for Ca+2 efflux to occur
- mainly in skeletal and cardiac muscle; also in SM to a smaller extent
SERCA (sarcoplasmic endoplasmic reticular calcium ATPase)
Responsible for resequestration of Ca into the SR (occurs at expense of ATP hydrolysis – energy dependent)
• Dependent on presence of ATP – draw on ATP pool
• Dependent on [Ca] (free calcium) in the cytoplasm
• This mechanism is constantly acting
Note: main mechanisms by which intracellular Ca levels diminish in skeletal and cardiac muscle
two consequences of free cytoplasmic Ca+2 (intracellular)
ATPase activity - high with high levels of Ca
Fiber tension - inc with increasing Ca
physiology of rigor mortis
actin and myosin of skeletal muscle fibers are bound, but not ATP is available to hydrolyze to ADP and Pi (recall: ADP binding and subsequent release is necessary for myosin conformational change and shift in sarcomere length)
what stops cycle of muscle contraction in living skeletal muscles
SERCA (using ATP) lowers cytoplasmic Ca
- result is that TnC does not bind Ca and tropomyosin blocks myosin head binding
Sliding filament theory - changes in length of sarcomere sections with skeletal muscle contraction
Movement of thin filaments relative to thick filaments
- A band stays the same length as we move from relaxed to contracted state (since comprised of thick filaments only which do not change in length)
- I band shrinks considerably, creating an increase in overlap between thick and thin filaments
- H zone shrinks
- Distance b/t z-lines shrinks
Two components of muscle force / tension
Active tension (based on actin and myosin; function of ATP hydrolysis)
Passive tension: develops as muscle fiber stretches (inc. in length)
sources of energy (ATP) for muscle contraction
- phosphagen system (2 reactions)
- glycolysis
- oxidative phosphorylation
phosphagen system: two reactions
direct phosphorylation of creatine or dephosphorylation of creatine phosphate by creatine kinase (depends on adenylate charge)
adenylate kinase (ADK; aka myokinase) uses 2 ADP to make ATP and AMP
slow oxidative (type I) versus fast glycolytic (type II) muscle fibers
Type I:
- slow rate of ATP hydrolysis
- high oxidative capacity (mitochondrial content), capillary density, myoglobin)
- rely mainly on oxidative phosphorylation for ATP production
Type II:
- fast rate of ATP hydrolysis
- rely mainly on glycolytic activity to generate ATP
- generate ATP quickly, but fatigue quickly (SERCA mechanism is high)
Note: most muscles are a mix of type I and type II fiber types; however, a fiber type can predominate
- glycolytic muscle will achieve peak tension quickly, but this cannot be sustained
- oxidative muscles achieve peak tension more slowly but muscle tension is sustained