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Striated muscle tissue, also known as skeletal muscle, is a muscle tissue that features repeating functional units called sarcomeres. Under a microscope, the tissue appears striped due to the alternating light and dark bands of the sarcomeres. Striated muscles are responsible for the voluntary movements of bones and make up between 30% and 40% of the average human's total body mass. They consist of flexible muscle fibers that contract and relax, enabling movements like reaching for a book on a shelf.
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Skeletal muscle
The skeletal musculature is part of the locomotor system, responsible for moving and stabilising the skeleton. Skeletal muscles are attached to bones by collagen-rich tendons, with tendons connecting to the periosteum that coats the bone. The contraction of skeletal muscles causes the tendons and periosteum to move, resulting in bone movement.
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Cardiac muscle
Striated muscle tissue features repeating functional units called sarcomeres. Under a microscope, sarcomeres are visible along muscle fibres, giving a striated appearance to the tissue. The two types of striated muscle are skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle.
Unlike skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle tissue cannot be regenerated by adult humans after an injury, which can lead to scarring and heart failure. Mammals can complete small amounts of cardiac regeneration during development, and other vertebrates can regenerate cardiac muscle tissue throughout their entire lifespan.
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Smooth muscle
Multi-unit smooth muscle, on the other hand, is neurogenic, meaning its contraction must be initiated by an autonomic nervous system neuron. It is found in the trachea, the iris of the eye, and the lining of large elastic arteries. Smooth muscle tissue demonstrates greater elasticity and function within a larger length-tension curve compared to striated muscle, which is important for organs like the intestines and urinary bladder.
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Muscle regeneration
The regeneration process can be divided into five interrelated and time-dependent phases: degeneration-necrosis, inflammation, regeneration, maturation/remodelling, and functional recovery. The inflammatory phase, for example, involves the activity of immune cells and cytokines, which play a crucial role in the muscle regeneration process. Regulatory T cells (Treg), for instance, are important players in regulating the inflammatory infiltrate at the site of tissue damage.
The process of muscle regeneration also involves satellite cells, which are dormant in all healthy skeletal muscle tissue. These satellite cells undergo activation, differentiation, and fusion during the regeneration process. Other precursors and stem cell populations, either residing within the muscle or recruited via circulation in response to injury, can also contribute to muscle regeneration. Fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs), for instance, are muscle-resident non-myogenic cells that contribute to the maintenance and alteration of a homeostatic environment.
The dynamic response of skeletal muscle to damaging events is an area of active research, with scientists developing experimental protocols to induce controlled muscle damage and studying cellular, molecular, and histological responses. The ultimate goal is to develop effective regenerative and therapeutic strategies for muscular disorders.
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Muscle contraction
There are three types of muscles in the human body: skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle. Skeletal muscles are attached to bones and are responsible for a wide range of movements and functions. They are voluntary muscles, meaning an individual has control over how and when they move. Skeletal muscles are composed of cells called muscle fibers, which contain actin and myosin filaments that power contraction. These filaments are organised into repeating units called sarcomeres, which give the muscle its striated appearance under a microscope.
The contraction of skeletal muscles begins at the neuromuscular junction, where a motoneuron meets a muscle fiber. This causes the release of acetylcholine, which binds to receptors located at the motor endplate, initiating action potentials in the muscle fiber. The action potentials travel into the T-tubules, causing the release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Calcium then binds to troponin C, causing a conformational change that allows the myosin heads to attach to the actin filaments, creating a cross-bridge.
ATP binds to the myosin head, causing it to dissociate from the actin filament. The myosin head then changes conformation and moves towards the positive end of the actin, and the process continues until calcium levels fall, causing tropomyosin to cover the actin filaments' myosin-binding sites. This results in muscle relaxation, where the muscle fibers return to a low-tension state.
Cardiac and smooth muscles, on the other hand, have involuntary contractions, which are initiated by the muscle cells themselves rather than by nerve stimulation. Cardiac muscle cells have a unique structure, with intercalated discs connecting them mechanically and electrically. Their contractions are responsible for pumping blood throughout the body. Smooth muscle is found in the walls of hollow structures such as blood vessels and the intestines, and its contractions are controlled by reflexes and the autonomic nervous system.
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Frequently asked questions
Striations in muscles are the transverse light and dark bands that give striated muscles their striped appearance.
Striated muscles are muscles that can contract and relax independently. They are composed of many cells called myofibrils, which are long strands of proteins called actin and myosin. The three main types of striated muscles are skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle.
Skeletal muscles are a type of striated muscle that is under voluntary control. They are attached to the bones and help with movement, balance, and posture. Skeletal muscles make up between 30% and 40% of your total body mass.
Cardiac muscles are a type of striated muscle that is found exclusively in the muscular walls of the heart. They are involuntary in nature and help with the contraction of the heart walls and the pumping of blood.
