CPT 4: PHYSIOLOGY - MUSCULAR SYSTEM

THREE TYPES OF MUSCULAR TISSUE SOURCES OF HEAT / ENERGY

1. Skeletal muscle ➔ When muscles work, they produce heat that our body needs
2. Cardiac muscle to function properly
3. Smooth muscle ➔ Major source of this energy is ATP
➔ When the muscle is stimulated, ATP is released, thus producing
Location Function Appearance Control
heat
Skeletal Skeleton Movement, Striated, Voluntary SKELETAL MUSCLE
heat, multinucleate, ➔ The only organ of the muscular system
posture fibers parallel
➔ Muscular system is made up of over 600 different muscles
Cardiac Heart Pumps Striated, one Involuntary ➔ Is composed of skeletal muscle tissue & contains nervous tissue,
blood central nucleus blood vessels & connective tissue
continuously ➔ Half of the body’s weight is muscle tissue
◆ Skeletal muscle = 40% in males, 32% in females
Smooth GI tract, Peristalsis, No striations, Involuntary
◆ Cardiac muscle = 10%
muscle uterus, blood one central
eyes, pressure, nucleus CHARACTERISTICS OF SKELETAL MUSCLE TISSUE
blood pupil size, 1. Long , thin contractile fibers (cells)
vessels erects hairs 2. Striated - have visible banding

CHARACTERISTICS OF MUSCLES 3. Under voluntary control

All muscles have 4 common characteristics: 4. Attached to the bones of the skeleton by tendons

1. Excitability 5. Cells are surrounded & bundled by connective tissue = great

➔ Ability to respond to a stimulus (i.e: nerve impulse) force, but tires easily

2. Contractibility 6. Allow for movement, facial expressions, breathing, swallowing,

➔ Muscle fibers that are stimulated by nerves contract writing, talking &singing, posture, heat production, joint stability

(become shorter) & causes movement FUNCTION OF SKELETAL MUSCLES

3. Extensibility 1. Attach to bones to provide voluntary movement

➔ Ability to be stretched ➔ Tendons: strong, tough connective cords

4. Elasticity ➔ Fascia: tough, sheet-like membrane

➔ Allows the muscles to return to its original shape after it 2. Produce heat and energy for the body

has been stretched 3. Help maintain posture

4. Protect internal organs

Inventor, Joanna Marie P. 1

CPT 4: PHYSIOLOGY - MUSCULAR SYSTEM
CONNECTIVE TISSUE WRAPPINGS OF SKELETAL MUSCLE ORGANIZATION OF MUSCLE TISSUE: MYOFIBRIL
Epimysium ➔ Are striated
➔ Covers whole organ (entire skeletal muscle) ◆ Striations due to arrangement of thick and thin
Perimysium filaments
➔ Covers the fascicles ➔ Length of each myofibril is divided into repeating units called
Epimysium sarcomeres (functional unit of skeletal muscle)
➔ Covers individual cells SARCOMERE ARRANGEMENT
SKELETAL MUSCLE ATTACHMENTS
Epimysium blends into a connective tissue attachment
Tendon - cord-like structure
Sites of muscle attachment
● Bones
● Cartilages
● Connective tissue coverings
ORGANIZATION OF MUSCLE TISSUE: FASCICLE
➔ Skeletal muscle fibers (cells) are arranged into bundles called
fascicles
➔ Fascicles are bounded by connective tissue
ORGANIZATION OF MUSCLE TISSUE: MUSCLE FIBER
SARCOMERE STRUCTURE
● A single muscle cell is a muscle fiber
● Sarcomere exists from Z-line to Z-line
● Muscle fibers are made up of:
● A-band is dark middle band
○ Sarcolemma (muscle cell membrane)
● I-Band - ends of A-Band, thin filaments only
○ Sarcoplasma (muscle cell cytoplasm)
● Z-disk is in the middle of the I-Band
○ Myofibrils (made up of thick and thin filaments)
● M-line is in the middle of the A-band
○ Nucleus
○ Mitochondrion
○ Sarcoplasmic reticulum

Inventor, Joanna Marie P. 2

CPT 4: PHYSIOLOGY - MUSCULAR SYSTEM
THICK FILAMENT STRUCTURE SKELETAL MUSCLE CONTRACTION
● Composed of many myosin molecules Nerve Stimulus to Muscles
● Each myosin molecule has a tail region & 2 globular heads ➔ Skeletal muscles must be stimulated by a nerve to contract
(cross bridges) (motor neuron)
THIN FILAMENT STRUCTURE ➔ Motor Unit
Composed of 3 proteins: ◆ One neuron
1. Actin protein ◆ Muscle cells stimulated by that neuron
➔ 2 Strands of globular actin molecules twisted into helix. Neuromuscular junctions (NJ)
Actin filaments have binding sites for myosin cross ➔ NJ is association site of nerve & muscle
bridges
2. Tropomyosin protein
➔ Spirals around actin helix
3. Troponin protein (3 subunits)
➔ Is attached to actin and holds tropomyosin in place
(can be called as troponin-tropomyosin complex)
SPECIALIZED ORGANELLES OF SKELETAL MUSCLE
Sarcoplasmic Reticulum (SR)
➔ A type of ER
➔ Surrounds each myofibril, running parallel to it
➔ Stores calcium, when stimulated, calcium diffuses into SLIDING FILAMENT THEORY
sarcoplasm ● A sarcomere is the functional unit of skeletal muscle
Transverse Tubules (TT) ● When a skeletal muscle contracts, sarcomeres shorten
➔ Extends into sarcoplasm as invaginations continuous with ● This is described by the sliding filament theory
sarcolemma ● Sarcomeres shorten because thick & thin filaments slide past
◆ T tubules run between cisternae of SR each other
➔ Filled with extracellular fluid ● Thin filaments move towards the center of the sarcomere from
➔ Cisternae of SR and TT form a triad near where thick & thin both ends
filaments overlap

Inventor, Joanna Marie P. 3

CPT 4: PHYSIOLOGY - MUSCULAR SYSTEM

NEURO-MASCULAR COUPLING
Sequence of events
1. An action potential arrives at the end of a motor neuron, at
the neuromuscular junction
2. This causes the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine
3. This initiates an action potential in the muscle cell membrane
(Sarcolemma)

Inventor, Joanna Marie P. 4

CPT 4: PHYSIOLOGY - MUSCULAR SYSTEM
4. This action potential is carried quickly into the large muscle cell
by invaginations in the cell membrane called T-tubules
5. The action potential causes the sarcoplasmic reticulum to
release its store of calcium into the myofibrils
6. Ca²⁺ causes tropomyosin to be displaced uncovering myosin
binding sites on actin
7. Myosin cross bridges can now attach & the cross bridge cycle
can take place
8. Relaxation is the reverse of these steps
STEPS OF CROSSBRIDGE CYCLE
1. Binding of myosin to actin
➔ ADP & Pi are bound to ATPase site of myosin head.
Creates high affinity for actin and the myosin head
binds to thin filament
2. Powerstroke
➔ Myosin head pivots & pulls thin filament toward the
M-line
3. Unbinding of myosin & actin
➔ ATP enters the ATPase site on myosin head triggering a
conformational change, decreasing myosin affinity for
actin & detaching myosin from actin
4. Cocking of the Myosin Head
➔ ATP is split by hydrolysis releasing energy which is
captured by the myosin molecule & it returns to its
high-energy conformation. ADP & Pi remain bound to
ATPase site
MUSCLE RELAXATION MECHANISM
1. Acetylcholinesterase present in the NMJ destroys
ACh(preventing continual stimulation)
2. Calcium ions are transported from the sarcoplasm back into SR
3. Linkages between myosin & actin are broken requires ATP
binding
4. The muscle fiber relaxes
ENERGY FOR CONTRACTION
➔ Muscle cells require huge amounts of ATP energy to power
contraction
➔ The cells have only a very small store of ATP
➔ Three pathways supply ATP to power muscle contraction
➔ ATP initially supplied from cellular respiration
➔ If ATP is abundant, is converted to creatine phosphate &
stored in skeletal muscles
➔ When ATP is low, creatine phosphate supplies phosphate to
ADP making ATP
➔ CP & ATP stores only good for about a 10 second maximal
contraction
➔ ATP must then come from cellular respiration or glycolysis
Note:
Muscles work by contracting, or becoming shorter and thicker.
Many skeletal muscles work in pairs. One muscle in the pair
contracts to move the bone in one direction. Then, the other muscle
in the pair contracts to move the bone back.
SMOOTH MUSCLE CHARACTERISTICS
➔ Has no striations
➔ Spindle-shaped cells
➔ Single nucleus
➔ Involuntary - no conscious control
➔ Found mainly in the walls of hallow (intestines, bladder,
stomach, uterus, blood vessels)
➔ Slow, sustained & tireless

Inventor, Joanna Marie P. 5

CPT 4: PHYSIOLOGY - MUSCULAR SYSTEM
CARDIAC MUSCLE CHARACTERISTICS PROBLEM OF THE MUSCULAR SYSTEM
➔ Striated & branched ➔ Pulled or torn muscle
➔ Usually has a single nucleus ◆ Treatment : medical help
➔ Joined to another muscle cell at an intercalated disc ➔ Strain: Soreness due to overwork
➔ Involuntary ◆ Treatment : rest, ice, or heat
➔ Found only in the heart ➔ Tendonitis: Stretched or torn tendon
➔ Steady pace ◆ Treatment : rest & ice to possible surgery
SPECIAL MUSCLES ➔ Cramp: Muscle unable to relax; feels tight & sore
➔ Sphincter (dilator) muscles are openings between the ◆ Treatment: Massage/drink fluids
esophagus and stomach, stomach & small intestines, wall of ➔ Muscular dystrophy : inability to walk & stand
the anus, urethra, & mouth ◆ Treatment: no cure
➔ Open & close to control passage of substances
PARTS OF THE MUSCULAR SYSTEM
➔ Latissimus Dorsi
➔ Deltoid
➔ Trapezius
➔ Extensors
➔ Triceps
➔ Gluteals
➔ Hamstring
➔ Achilles tendon
➔ Soleus
➔ Gastrocnemius
➔ Major pectoral
➔ Flexors
➔ Sartorius
➔ Quadriceps
➔ Abdominals

Inventor, Joanna Marie P. 6