SKELETAL MUSCLE

MUSCULAR TISSUE – SKELETAL MUSCLE

SKELETAL MUSCLE
 Named because most skeletal muscle moves the bones of the skeleton
 Microscopy – They are striated
 Under voluntary control.

FUNCTIONS

 Producing body movement -

Movements of the whole body such as walking and running, and localized movements such as grasping
a pencil, keyboarding, or nodding the head rely on the integrated functioning of skeletal muscles,
bones, and joints.
 Stabilizing body positions.
Skeletal muscle contractions stabilize joints and help maintain body positions, such as standing or
sitting.
 Generating heat.
As muscular tissue contracts, it produces heat, a process known as thermogenesis . Much of the heat
generated by muscle is used to maintain normal body temperature. Involuntary contractions of skeletal
muscles, known as shivering, can increase the rate of heat production.

ORGANIZATION OF SKELETAL MUSCLES

Muscle ( whole organ )

↓
Fascicle ( portion of muscle )
↓
Muscle fibres (single muscle cell )
↓
Myofibril ( muscle cell organelle )
↓
Sacromere ( portion of myofibril)
↓
Myofilament ( part of sarcomere)

 Each skeleton muscle is a separate organ composed of hundreds and thousands of cells ,which are
called muscle fibres ( myocytes) ; they are elongated in structure .

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SKELETAL MUSCLE

 Each skeletal muscle has three layers of connective tissue (called “mysia”) that enclose it and
provide structure to the muscle as a whole, and also compartmentalize the muscle fibers within the
muscle.
 Each muscle is wrapped in a sheath of dense, irregular connective tissue called the epimysium, which
allows a muscle to contract and move powerfully while maintaining its structural integrity. The
epimysium also separates muscle from other tissues and organs in the area, allowing the muscle to
move independently.
 Inside each skeletal muscle, muscle fibers are organized into individual bundles, each called a fascicle,
by a middle layer of connective tissue called the perimysium
 Inside each fascicle, each muscle fiber is encased in a thin connective tissue layer of collagen and
reticular fibers called the endomysium. The endomysium contains the extracellular fluid and nutrients
to support the muscle fiber. These nutrients are supplied via blood to the muscle tissue.
 The epimysium, perimysium, and endomysium are all continuous with the connective tissue that
attaches skeletal muscle to other structures, such as bone or another muscle. For example, all three
connective tissue layers may extend beyond the muscle fibers to form a ropelike tendon that attaches
a muscle to the periosteum of a bone.

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SKELETAL MUSCLE

STRUCTURE OF SKELETAL MUSCLE

 Each mature skeletal muscle fibre has a hundred or more nuclei
 This multiple nuclei are located just beneath the plasma membrane of muscle celled sarcolemma.
 Thousand of tiny invagination of sarcolemma called transverse tubles penetrate from surface
towards the centre of the each muscle fibres
 cytoplasm of muscle fibres called sarcoplasm.
 Sarcoplasm consist of glucose in the form of glycogen for energy also a small red coloured protein
called myoglobin ; aid the ATP production.
In high magnification
 The sarcoplasm appears stuffed with little thread
 These small structure are the myofibril ; the contratile organelle of muscle

 Their prominent striation make the entre skeletal muscle appears stripped (striated)
 A fluid filled system of membranous sac called sarcoplasmic reticulum(SR) encircle the each
myofibril.
 The dialled end sac of the SR called terminal cisterns
 Myofibril relaxed ; SR store the calcium ; During contraction calcium released from terminal
Cisterns .

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 With in the myofibril are smaller structure called filaments (myofilaments

o Consist of thick and thin filaments
o Thick filaments – 16nm, 1- 2μm
o Thin filaments – 8nm , 1-2 μm
o Both are involved in contraction .
 The basic unit of myofibril is sarcolemma which consist of myofilaments.

COMPONENTS OF SACROMERE

Sacromere consist of
- Z disc
- A band
- I band
- H zone
- M line

 Z disc – narrow plated region of dense protein material that separate one sarcomere for the next .
 A band – The dark , middle part of the sarcomere , extend the entire length of thick filaments plus
overlap area between thick and thin filaments .
 I band Lighter zone – Contain the thin filaments no thick filaments
 H zone – A narrow region in the centre of each A band that contain only thick filaments and no thin
filaments .

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SKELETAL MUSCLE

 M line – Region centre of the H zone and contain protein that hold the thick filaments together at the
centre of sarcomere .

MUSCLE PROTEINS
Myofibril build from 3 protein
• Contractile protein - generate contraction
• Regulatory protein – help to switch the contraction
• Structural protein - Proteins that keep thick and thin filaments of myofibrils in proper alignment, give
myofibrils elasticity and extensibility, and link myofibrils to sarcolemma and extracellular matrix.

1. Actin and Myosin ( contractile protein )

 Thick filaments are made the protein myosin

 A single myosin protein resembles 2 golf clubs whose shaft have been twist about one another
 About 300 of these myosin molecules are joint together to form a single thick filaments
 They have a heads and tail ; head portion consists of Actin binding site ; during contraction
they bind with actin via this

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 Each thin filaments is made up of 3 different protein actin, Tropomycin & Troponin
 Each thin filament consist of long helical double stranded polymer that resembles
string bead, each “bead” is called actin .
 On each actin subunit consist of myosin binding site where the head of myosin fixed
during muscle contraction.
 A filamentous protein that cover the myosin binding cite of the actin helix called
tropomysin.
 A trio protein that bound to both actin and tropomysin known as troponin

2.Tropomycin & Troponin ( regulatory proteins )

 Tropomycin – During relaxation , it covers myosin binding site on actin prevent the attachment of
myosin
 Troponin - calcium ions bid to troponin ; it changes it shape ; this conformational changes moves
the tropomysin away form myosin binding cite on action molecule and muscle contraction starts.

3. Structural proteins
Structural proteins - Proteins that keep thick and thin filaments of myofibrils in proper alignment, give
myofibrils elasticity and extensibility, and link myofibrils to sarcolemma and extracellular matrix.

 Titin : Connect Z disc to M line of sarcomere , help to stabilize thick filament in position . Provide
more elasticity and flexibility.
 Alpha actinin – Structural protein of Z disc that attach to actin molecule of thin filaments and to titin
molecule .
 Myomesin – Protein for M line of sarcomere ; bind to thin molecules and connect the adjacent thick
filament to one another .
 Nebulin - Structural protein that wrap around the entire length of each thin filaments ; help to anchor
this filaments to z disc and regulates length of this thin filaments during development.
 Dystrophin – Structural protein that link filaments of sacromere to integral membrane protein in the
sarcolemma and help transmit tension generally by sarcomere to tendons.

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REFERENCE
 Principles of anatomy and physiology by Gerard T. Tortora , Bryan Derrickson , wily
publication 15th edition , pp:295-304