L1i: Describe the anatomy and physiology of skeletal, smooth and cardiac muscle

Definition

Skeletal

Striated muscle tissue

Voluntary control by somatic nervous system

Cardiac

Specialized involuntary striated muscle

Smooth

Involuntary

Non-striated muscle tissue

Anatomy

Location

Skeletal

Muscle

Cardiac

Heart only

Smooth

Vessel walls

Hollow organs: stomach, intestines, uterus, bladder

Skin

Innervation

Skeletal

Aa motor fibres

Cardiac

Vagus

Cardiac sympathetic chain

Smooth

ANS

Structure

Macroscopic

Skeletal

Motor unit = nerve ending + muscle fibre

10-100mm diam fibre

Striated, ordered sarcomeres (functional unit)

Cardiac

Striated, ordered sarcomeres (functional unit)

Shorter than sk m

Syncitium – fibrous skeleton seperates atria & ventricles – allows the atria & ventricles to perform as syncytium

Smooth

No striations = looks smooth

 30-200mm LENGTH →thousands of times shorter than Sk m!

Microscopic

Skeletal

Multiple parallel myofibrils

Multi nucleated

Mitochondria (aerobic & anaerobic metabolism)

SR (Ca++ storage)

Glycogen (E storage)
Myoglobin (O2 storage)

T-tubules

Cardiac

Many mitochondria AEROBIC ONLY

Myoglobin (O2 storage)

One nucleus

Rich cap network – one cap per fibre

IC disc – cell membrane – seperates each cell but allows fast communication so they can contract as a unit

Gap Jn – low resistance channel – allows depolarization to run easily btw myocytes

T-tubules – bigger & wider than T tubules of sk m – allows HUGE Ca++ influx

SR of cardiac m less well developed, relies on big Ca++ influx from T tubules

Smooth

One nucleus per cell

No striations → myosin and actin is disordered

No troponin

Calmodulin

Molecular

Skeletal

Contractile proteins = actin & myosin  → Striated

Regulatory proteins = Tropomyosin & troponin

  • Troponin: protein w 3 subunits

I – inhibits myosin ATPase

C- binds Ca++

T- binds Tropomysin

Tropomysin – blocks actin/myosin interaction

Cardiac

myosin  → Striated

Smooth

Contractile proteins = Actin & Myosin → no order, smooth

Regulatory Protein = Calmodulin

Excitation

RMP

Skeletal

-70mV

Cardiac

-90mV

Smooth

Wandering -40 to -60mV

Source

Skeletal

NMJ

Cardiac

SA Node

Smooth

Autorhythmicity

Depolarisation can be

  • Spontaneous
  • Ach binds muscuarinic rec (Gq)→ ↑­IP3 →SR release Ca++
  • Stretch
  • Hormonal control

Spread

Skeletal

Via T tubules

Cardiac

PM Cell → via conducting system

Smooth

Via Gap Jns

AP

Skeletal

Opens fast Na ch

Cardiac

Opens Fast Na and slower Ca ch → prolonged

Smooth

Na/Ca

E-C-C

Ca Release

Skeletal

AP propagates along sarcolemma & down T-tubules

Activates L-type Ca++ ch of

T-tubles (see pic)

Flux of Ca++ intracellularly­­­↑↑↑

Ryanodine Rec of SR open = mass x60↑­ Ca++

Cardiac

AP propagates along sarcolemma & down T-tubules

Activates L-type Ca++ ch of

T-tubles (see pic)

Flux of Ca++ intracellularly­­­↑↑↑

Ryanodine Rec of SR open = mass x60­↑ Ca++

Smooth

Myocyte action propogates throughout smooth m via GAP JNS→ contraction

AP opens voltage gates Ca++ ch

Ca++ enters from ECF

Opens further Ca++ from SR (insignificant)

Cross Bridge

Skeletal

Ca++ binds TnC

Removes inhibition of Troponin-Tropomyosin Complex

Exposes Actin binding site to myosin → commencement of cross-bridging

Myosin head pulls actin via ATP hydrolysis (ATPase) = contraction

Cardiac

Ca++ binds TnC

Removes inhibition of Troponin-Tropomyosin Complex

Exposes Actin binding site to myosin → commencement of cross-bridging

Myosin head pulls actin via ATP hydrolysis (ATPase) = contraction

Smooth

Ca-Calmodulin complex activates the enzyme myosin light chain kinase (MLCK)

Initiates myosin-actin cross bridge formation → contraction by conversion of ATP to ADP

Entire muscle fibre contracts together in a corkscrew manner

Relaxation

Skeletal

Continues until Ca++ ↓

SERCA  pumps Ca++ back into SR → relaxation

Cardiac

Continues until Ca++ ↓

SERCA  pumps Ca++ back into SR → relaxation

Smooth

Muscle Contraction continues until ATP-dependent processes actively pump Ca++ out of the cell/into SR

Sm fns for long periods, without rest, but without using a lot of energy so some sm m can retain contraction despite Ca++ removal & MLCP by cross-bridging btw actin and myosin KA LATCH BRIDGING

MLCP → dephosphorelates myosin-ATPase

  • Uncouples actin-myosin cross bridge
  • ↓intrac Ca++
  • Relaxation