Muscular System

ANAT 1053 | UNIT 9: MUSCULAR SYSTEM

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 The 3 types of muscle tissue are cardiac, smooth, and skeletal. Cardiac muscle cells are located in
the walls of the heart, appear striped (striated), and are under involuntary control. Smooth muscle
Question fibers are located in walls of hollow visceral organs (such as the liver, pancreas, and intestines),
except the heart, appear spindle-shaped, and are also under involuntary control. Skeletal muscle
fibers occur in muscles which are attached to the skeleton. They are striated in appearance and
are under voluntary control.

▪ Which of the following types of muscle is voluntary?

Cardiac
Smooth
Skeletal

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 Question

▪ Which of the following types of muscle is voluntary?

Cardiac Muscle type Structural elements Function Location

Skeletal Long cylindrical fiber, striated, many peripherally located nuclei Voluntary movement, produces

Smooth heat, protects organs Attached to bones and around entry & exit sites of body (e.g., mouth, anus)

Cardiac Short, branched, striated, single central nucleus Contracts to pump blood Heart

Skeletal Smooth Short, spindle-shaped, no evident striation, single nucleus in each fiber Involuntary movement,
moves food, involuntary control of respiration, moves secretions, regulates flow of blood in arteries by
contraction Walls of major organs and passageways

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 Question

▪ Which of the following muscle types is

multinucleate?

Cardiac
Smooth
Skeletal

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 Question

▪ Which of the following muscle types is

multinucleate?

Cardiac
Smooth
Skeletal

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 Question

▪ Which of the following muscle types is not controlled

by hormones?

Cardiac
Smooth
Skeletal

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 Question

▪ Which of the following muscle types is not controlled

by hormones?

Cardiac
Smooth
Skeletal

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Figure 6.1 Connective tissue wrappings of skeletal muscle.

Muscle
fiber
Blood vessel (cell)

Perimysium

Epimysium
(wraps entire
muscle)
Fascicle
(wrapped by
perimysium)

Endomysium
(between
fibers)
Tendon

Bone
SKELETAL
MUSCLE
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Figure 6.2a Arrangement of smooth and cardiac muscle cells.

Circular layer
of smooth muscle
(longitudinal
Mucosa view of cells)

SMOOTH
MUSCLE OF
THE SMALL
INTESTINE

Submucosa Longitudinal
layer of
smooth muscle
(a) (cross-sectional
view of cells)
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Figure 6.2b Arrangement of smooth and cardiac muscle cells.

Cardiac
muscle
bundles

(b)
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 Muscle fiber - the skeletal muscle cell

Contains
bundles of
Thick
myosin
myofilament

Myofibrils Sarcomere

Thin
Actin
Myofilament

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 Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscle

▪ Sarcolemma—specialized plasma membrane

▪ Myofibrils—long organelles inside muscle cell
▪ Light (I) bands and dark (A) bands give the muscle
its striped appearance

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Figure 6.3a Anatomy of a skeletal muscle fiber (cell).

Sarcolemma

Myofibril

Dark Light Nucleus

(A) band (I) band
(a) Segment of a muscle fiber (cell)

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 Myofibrils

▪ Banding pattern
▪ I band = light band
▪ Contains only thin filaments
▪ Z disc is a midline interruption
▪ A band = dark band
▪ Contains the entire length of the thick filaments
▪ H zone is a lighter central area
▪ M line is in center of H zone

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Figure 6.3b Anatomy of a skeletal muscle fiber (cell).

Z disc H zone Z disc

Thin (actin)
myofilament
Thick (myosin)
myofilament

I band A band I band M line

Sarcomere

(b) Myofibril or fibril (complex organelle composed of bundles

of myofilaments)

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 Myofibrils

▪ Sarcomere— ▪ Organization of the

contractile unit of a
muscle fiber
sarcomere
▪ Myofilaments produce
banding (striped)
pattern
▪ Thick filaments =
myosin filaments
▪ Thin filaments =
actin filaments

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 Myofilaments in the sarcomere

▪ Thick filaments ▪ Thin filaments

▪ Composed of the ▪ Composed of the
protein myosin contractile protein
▪ Contain ATPase actin
enzymes ▪ Actin is anchored to
▪ Possess myosin the Z disc
heads
▪ Heads are known as
cross bridges when
they link thick and
thin filaments during
contraction

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Figure 6.3c Anatomy of a skeletal muscle fiber (cell).

Sarcomere
M line
Z disc Z disc
Thin (actin)
myofilament
Thick (myosin)
myofilament

(c) Sarcomere (segment of a myofibril)

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 Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscle

▪ Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)

▪ Specialized smooth endoplasmic reticulum
▪ Stores and releases calcium
▪ Surrounds the myofibril

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 Stimulation and Contraction of Single Skeletal
Muscle Cells
▪ Irritability (also called responsiveness)—ability to
receive and respond to a stimulus
▪ Contractility—ability to shorten when an adequate
stimulus is received
▪ Extensibility—ability of muscle cells to be stretched
▪ Elasticity—ability to recoil and resume resting length
after stretching

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 The Nerve Stimulus and Action Potential

▪ Skeletal muscles must be stimulated by a motor

neuron (nerve cell) to contract
▪ Motor unit—one motor neuron and all the skeletal
muscle cells stimulated by that neuron

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Figure 6.4a Motor units.
Axon terminals at
neuromuscular junctions
Spinal cord
Motor Motor
unit unit
1 2

Nerve

Axon of
Motor neuron motor
cell bodies neuron

Muscle Muscle
fibers

(a)
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 The Nerve Stimulus and Action Potential

▪ Neuromuscular ▪ Neurotransmitter
junction ▪ Acetylcholine (ACh) is
▪ Association site of the neurotransmitter
axon terminal of the that stimulates
motor neuron and skeletal muscle
sarcolemma of a
muscle

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 The Nerve Stimulus and Action Potential

Synaptic cleft

Gap between nerve

and muscle

Nerve and muscle do

not make contact

Filled with interstitial

fluid

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 Transmission of Nerve Impulse to Muscle
When a nerve impulse reaches the axon
terminal of the motor neuron, Ca++ channels
open, and Ca++ enter the axon terminal

Ca++ entry causes some synaptic vesicles to

release acetylcholine which diffuses across
the synaptic cleft and attaches to receptors on
the sarcolemma of the muscle cell

Na+ rushes into the cell, and K+ leaves the

cell => depolarization opens more Na+
channels

Once started, the action potential cannot be

stopped, and contraction occurs.
Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) breaks down
acetylcholine and ends muscle contraction
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 Transmission of Nerve Impulse to Muscle

▪ Cell returns to its resting state when:

1. Potassium ions diffuse out of the cell
2. Sodium-potassium pump moves sodium and
potassium ions back to their original positions

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Figure 6.5 Events at the neuromuscular junction. Slide 5

1 Action potential reaches

axon terminal of motor neuron.
2 Calcium (Ca2+) channels open, and
Ca2+ enters the axon terminal.
Ca2+
3 Ca2+ entry causes some synaptic Ca2+
Synaptic
vesicles to release their contents cleft Sarcolemma
by exocytosis.

ACh ACh Sarcoplasm

4 Acetylcholine diffuses across the receptor
of muscle fiber
synaptic cleft and binds to
receptors in the sarcolemma.

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Figure 6.6 Comparing the action potential to a flame consuming a dry twig.

Small twig

Match
flame
1 Flame ignites 2 Flame spreads
the twig. rapidly along the twig.
(a)
Neuromuscular junction Muscle cell
Nerve or fiber
Striations
fiber

1 Na+ diffuses
into the cell. 2 Action potential spreads
rapidly along the sarcolemma.
(b)
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 Mechanism of Muscle Contraction: The
Sliding Filament Theory youtube.com/watch?v=nTZnBdeIb5c

▪ Calcium binds to ▪ Where does the calcium

regulatory proteins on come from?
thin filaments and
exposes myosin-binding ▪ What provides energy for
sites, allowing the the sliding process?
myosin heads on the
thick filaments to attach
▪ The attached heads
pivot, sliding the thin
filaments toward the
center of the sarcomere,
and contraction occurs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZuy356qkPM

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Figure 6.7 Diagrammatic views of a sarcomere.
Myosin Actin

Z H Z
I A I

(a) Relaxed sarcomere

Z Z
I A I
(b) Fully contracted sarcomere
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Figure 6.8a Schematic representation of contraction mechanism: The sliding filament theory.

Protein
complex

Myosin Actin
(a) myofilament myofilament

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Figure 6.8b Schematic representation of contraction mechanism: The sliding filament theory.

Myosin-binding site
Ca2+

Upper part of thick filament

(b) only

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Figure 6.8c Schematic representation of contraction mechanism: The sliding filament theory.

(c)

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 Video (18:40)

▪ http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=3
9510&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=The Skeletal and
Muscular
Systems&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=&tScript=0

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 Contraction of Skeletal Muscle

▪ Muscle fiber contraction is “all or none”

▪ Within a skeletal muscle, not all fibers may be
stimulated during the same interval
▪ Different combinations of muscle fiber contractions
may give differing responses
▪ Graded responses—different degrees of skeletal
muscle shortening

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 Muscle Response to Strong Stimuli

▪ Muscle force depends upon the number of fibers

stimulated
▪ Contraction of more fibers results in greater muscle
tension
▪ Muscles can continue to contract unless they run
out of energy

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 Energy for Muscle Contraction

▪ ATP
▪ Immediate source of energy for muscle contraction
▪ Stored in muscle fibers in small amounts that are
quickly used up
▪ After this initial time, other pathways must be utilized
to produce ATP

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 Energy for Muscle Contraction

▪ Three ways to generate ATP

1. Direct phosphorylation of ADP by creatine
phosphate
2. Aerobic respiration
3. Anaerobic glycolysis and lactic acid formation

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 Direct phosphorylation of ADP by creatine
phosphate (CP)
▪ Muscle cells store CP, a high-energy molecule
▪ After ATP is depleted, ADP remains
▪ CP transfers a phosphate group to ADP to
regenerate ATP
▪ CP supplies are exhausted in less than 15 seconds
▪ About 1 ATP is created per CP molecule

▪ This is the FASTEST!

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Figure 6.10a Methods of regenerating ATP during muscle activity.

(a) Direct phosphorylation

Coupled reaction of creatine
phosphate (CP) and ADP
Energy source: CP

CP ADP

Creatine ATP

Oxygen use: None

Products: 1 ATP per CP,
creatine
Duration of energy provision:
15 seconds

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 Aerobic respiration (cellular respiration)

▪ Glucose is broken ▪ Do you remember the

down to carbon dioxide three steps of cellular
and water, releasing respiration?
energy (about 32 ATP)
▪ A series of metabolic ▪ What are the end
pathways occurs in the products of cellular
mitochondria respiration?
▪ This is a slower
reaction that requires
continuous oxygen

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Figure 6.10c Methods of regenerating ATP during muscle activity.

(c) Aerobic pathway

Aerobic cellular respiration

Energy source: glucose; pyruvic

acid; free fatty acids from adipose
tissue; amino acids from protein
catabolism

Glucose (from
glycogen breakdown or
delivered from blood)
O2
Pyruvic acid
Fatty
acids O2
Aerobic respiration
Amino in mitochondria
acids
32 ATP
CO2
H2O net gain
per
glucose
Oxygen use: Required
Products: 32 ATP per glucose,
CO2, H2O
Duration of energy provision:
Hours

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 Anaerobic glycolysis and lactic acid formation

▪ Reaction that breaks ▪ This reaction is not as

down glucose without
oxygen
▪ Glucose is broken
down to pyruvic acid to
produce about 2 ATP
efficient, but is fast
▪ Huge amounts of
glucose are needed
▪ Lactic acid produces
muscle fatigue

▪ Pyruvic acid is
converted to lactic acid

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Figure 6.10b Methods of regenerating ATP during muscle activity.

(b) Anaerobic pathway

Glycolysis and lactic acid
formation
Energy source: glucose

Glucose (from
glycogen breakdown or
delivered from blood)

Glycolysis
in cytosol
O2
2 ATP
Pyruvic acid
net gain
O2
Released Lactic acid
to blood

Oxygen use: None

Products: 2 ATP per glucose,
lactic acid
Duration of energy provision:
40 seconds, or slightly more
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 Muscle Fatigue and Oxygen Deficit

▪ If muscle activity is ▪ What is meant by the

strenuous and term oxygen deficit?
prolonged, muscle
fatigue occurs because: Oxygen deficit exists when the body's consumption of oxygen
exceeds its intake. Oxygen deficit can result in low oxygen levels in

▪ Ionic imbalances occur

the blood (hypoxemia) or tissue (hypoxia). A person suffering from
oxygen deficit may exhibit symptoms that can include an increased
heart rate and rapid breathing.
▪ Lactic acid
accumulates in the
muscle
▪ Energy (ATP) supply
decreases

▪ After exercise, the

oxygen deficit is repaid
by rapid, deep breathing

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 Types of Muscle Contractions

▪ Isotonic contractions
▪ Myofilaments are able to slide past each other during
contractions
▪ The muscle shortens, and movement occurs
▪ Example: bending the knee; rotating the arm
▪ Isometric contractions
▪ Tension in the muscles increases
▪ The muscle is unable to shorten or produce
movement
▪ Example: pushing against a wall with bent elbows

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 Muscle Tone

▪ Muscle tone keeps muscles healthy and ready to

react
▪ Result of a staggered series of nerve impulses
delivered to different cells within the muscle
▪ If the nerve supply is destroyed, the muscle loses
tone, becomes paralyzed, and atrophies

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 Question

▪ What happens to a muscle if the nerve supply has

been damaged?

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