Chapter 7 Muscular System

Major functions:
1. Movement of the body
2. Maintenance of posture
3. Respiration
4. Production of body heat
5. Communication
6. Constriction of organs and vessel
7. Contraction of heart

CHARACTERISTICS OF SKELETAL MUSCLE

Skeletal muscle
-Constitutes approx. 40% of body
weight
-Attached to the skeletal system
-Striated muscle because of
transverse bands or striations

Four Major Functional Characteristics:
1. Contractility- ability of skeletal to
shorten with force
2. Excitability- capacity of skeletal
muscle to respond to a stimulus
3. Extensibility- skeletal muscles stretch
4. Elasticity- ability to recoil to their
original resting length

Connective tissue coverings
Epimysium (muscular fascia)-
surrounds muscle
Perimysium- surrounds muscle
fasciculi
Endomysium- surrounds muscle
fibers

Muscle Fiber structure
Muscle fiber
- single cylindrical fiber, with several
nuclei located at its periphery
- largest human muscle fibers (30cm
and 0.15mm in diameter)
Sarcolemma
- cell membrane of the muscle fiber
Transverse tubules
- tube-like invaginations
- occur at regular intervals along the
muscle fiber and extend inward
- connect sarcolemma to
sarcoplasmic reticulum
Sarcoplasmic Reticulum
- highly organized smooth
endoplasmic reticulum
- has high concentration of Ca
2+

Sarcoplasm- cytoplasm
Myofibrils
- threadlike structures extend from
one end of muscle fiber to the other
- consists of two major proteins:
o Actin
o Myosin
Sarcomeres
- joined end to end to form myofibrils