
Striated muscle tissue is a type of muscle tissue that features repeating functional units called sarcomeres. Under a microscope, these sarcomeres are visible along muscle fibres, giving the tissue a striated appearance. The two types of striated muscle are skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle. Skeletal muscle is the most common type of muscle in the body, comprising 30% to 40% of total body mass. It is a voluntary muscle, meaning we control how and when it moves. Cardiac muscle, on the other hand, is involuntary and is found in the walls of the heart.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Muscle tissue that is marked by transverse dark and light bands |
| Muscle types | Skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and most muscle of arthropods |
| Muscle tissue | Made up of elongated, multinucleated fibres |
| Muscle appearance | Striped |
| Muscle contraction | Possible to see individual fibres of the muscle running along its length |
| Muscle composition | Many cells called myofibrils |
| Muscle control | Voluntary |
| Muscle function | Create force and contract |
| Muscle repair | Myoblast transplantation |
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What You'll Learn

Striated muscle tissue is made up of elongated, multinucleated fibres
Striated muscle tissue is characterised by transverse dark and light bands, which give it a striped appearance. It is made up of elongated, multinucleated fibres and includes skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and most muscle of arthropods. Skeletal muscle is the most common type of muscle in the human body, comprising 30% to 40% of total body mass. It is a voluntary muscle, meaning we control how and when it works. Skeletal muscles are attached to bones and enable a wide range of movements and functions, including breathing, movement, posture maintenance, and balance.
Cardiac muscle, on the other hand, is found exclusively in the muscular walls of the heart. It is an involuntary muscle, controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Cardiac muscle contractions pump blood throughout the body. Skeletal and cardiac muscles share numerous structural and functional characteristics, including the presence of sarcomeres, which are basic contractile units that give rise to the characteristic transverse banding of striated muscles.
The fibres of striated muscle have a cylindrical shape with blunt ends, in contrast to the spindle-like shape of smooth muscle fibres. Striated muscle tissue has more mitochondria than smooth muscle, and it also contains T-tubules, which enable the release of calcium ions. Skeletal muscle fibres are typically 20-100 µm thick and up to 20 cm long. They are surrounded by endomysium, forming primary bundles that serve as the functional units of the muscle.
The structure of striated muscle tissue allows for the generation of contraction forces. The proteins actin and myosin form long strands called myofibrils, which twist around each other in a helical shape. When these proteins interact, they create a contraction force that pulls on the fibres within the muscle cell, leading to overall muscle contraction. This process is essential for the proper functioning of striated muscles, allowing them to contract and relax as needed.
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Skeletal muscle is a type of striated muscle
Skeletal muscle is the most common type of muscle in the body. It is attached to the bones by tendons, and together they produce all body movements. Skeletal muscle fibres are red and white, and they look striated or striped, hence the name "striated muscles". Each skeletal muscle consists of thousands of muscle fibres wrapped together by connective tissue sheaths. The outermost sheath of connective tissue covering each muscle is called the epimysium. Each muscle is made up of groups of muscle fibres called fascicles, surrounded by a connective tissue layer called the perimysium. Multiple units of individual muscle fibres within each fascicle are surrounded by the innermost sheath, called the endomysium.
The two most essential myofilaments that make up the contractile elements of the muscle fibre are actin and myosin. They are arranged in a striated pattern to form the dark A band and the light I band. The fundamental unit of contraction, also referred to as the sarcomere, consists of a central M line, with attached thick myosin filaments on either side. The contraction of the muscle results from the ATP-dependent rowing motion of the myosin heads, causing a shift of the actin filaments.
The skeletal muscle is part of the locomotor system and is responsible for moving and stabilising the skeleton. Skeletal muscles enable breathing, movement, and posture maintenance. They also act as a storage source for amino acids, play a central role in maintaining thermostasis, and act as an energy source during starvation.
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Cardiac muscle is another type of striated muscle
Striated muscle tissue is a muscle tissue that 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.
Cardiac muscle, also called myocardium, is one of the three major categories of muscles in the human body, the other two being smooth muscle and skeletal muscle. Cardiac muscle is the muscle found in the walls of the heart. It is made up of sarcomeres that allow for contractility. Cardiac muscle cells are striated, branched, contain many mitochondria, and are under involuntary control. Each myocyte contains a single, centrally located nucleus surrounded by a cell membrane known as the sarcolemma. The sarcolemma of cardiac muscle cells contains voltage-gated calcium channels, specialised ion channels that skeletal muscle does not possess.
Cardiac muscle cells contain branched fibres connected via intercalated discs that contain gap junctions and desmosomes. These interconnections allow the cardiomyocytes to contract together synchronously to enable the heart to work as a pump. The functional unit of a cardiomyocyte contraction is the sarcomere, which consists of thick (myosin) and thin (actin) filaments. The interaction between these filaments forms the basis of the sliding filament theory.
The cardiac muscle must contract with enough force and blood to supply the metabolic demands of the entire body. In this way, the contractions in cardiac muscle pump blood throughout the body. Skeletal muscles, on the other hand, are attached to some component of the skeleton and are under voluntary control. They are responsible for the voluntary movements of bones, such as breathing, eating, and moving.
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Striated muscle is voluntary muscle
Striated muscle is a type of muscle tissue that features repeating functional units called sarcomeres. Under a microscope, these sarcomeres are visible along muscle fibres, giving the tissue a striated appearance. This appearance is due to the presence of transverse dark and light bands. Striated muscle includes skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle. Skeletal muscle is the most common type of muscle in the human body, comprising 30% to 40% of total body mass. These muscles are attached to bones and enable a wide range of movements and functions, including breathing, movement, posture maintenance, and balance. They are under voluntary control, meaning an individual can decide how and when they work.
Cardiac muscle, on the other hand, is found exclusively in the muscular walls of the heart. These muscles help in the contraction of the heart walls and the pumping of blood throughout the body. Unlike skeletal muscles, cardiac muscles are involuntary in nature. They are controlled by the autonomic nervous system, allowing them to work without conscious thought.
The main function of striated muscle tissue is to create force and contract. The contractions in striated muscles are due to the presence of myofibrils, which are long strands of proteins called actin and myosin. When these two proteins interact, they create a contraction force, causing the muscle fibres to pull on each other and contract together to form one larger unit. This process is essential for the overall function and movement of the human body.
Skeletal muscle has a superior regeneration ability compared to cardiac muscle due to the presence of satellite cells. These dormant cells can multiply and differentiate as needed during the regeneration process, which includes phases of inflammatory response, activation and differentiation of satellite cells, and maturation of newly formed myofibrils. This ability to regenerate makes skeletal muscle more resilient and adaptable to injuries or damage.
In summary, striated muscle encompasses both skeletal and cardiac muscles, with skeletal muscle being voluntary and under conscious control, while cardiac muscle is involuntary and regulated by the autonomic nervous system. The unique properties of striated muscles, particularly their ability to contract and regenerate, make them vital to the body's movement, function, and overall health.
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Striated muscle is marked by transverse dark and light bands
Striated muscle tissue is characterised by transverse dark and light bands, which give it a striped appearance. This type of tissue is found in skeletal muscles and cardiac muscles. Skeletal muscles are attached to the bones and enable a wide range of movements and functions, including breathing, posture maintenance and movement. They are under voluntary control, meaning that we can decide how and when they work. Skeletal muscle is the most common type of muscle in the body, comprising 30% to 40% of total body mass.
Cardiac muscle, on the other hand, is found in the muscular walls of the heart. These muscles are involuntary, meaning that they work without conscious thought. They help with the contraction of the heart walls and the pumping of blood around the body.
Both skeletal and cardiac muscles are composed of elongated, multinucleated fibres, giving them a striated appearance. Under a microscope, we can observe sarcomeres, which are the basic contractile units of striated muscles. Sarcomeres consist of a central myosin-rich dark band (the A-band) and two actin-dominated light bands (the I-bands). The area between two Z-lines, where actin filaments are attached, makes up a functional unit called the sarcomere.
The main function of striated muscle tissue is to create force and contract. The contraction of skeletal muscle results from the ATP-dependent rowing motion of the myosin heads, causing a shift of the actin filaments and leading to overall muscle contraction.
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Frequently asked questions
Striated muscles are muscles that have a striped appearance due to their light and dark bands. They are made up of elongated, multinucleated fibres and include skeletal and cardiac muscles.
Skeletal muscles are a type of striated muscle that is attached to the bones and helps the body with movement, balance and posture. They are voluntary muscles, meaning you control how and when they work. They comprise 30% to 40% of your total body mass.
Cardiac muscles are the other type of striated muscle. They are found exclusively in the muscular walls of the heart and help with the contraction of the heart walls and the pumping of blood. Unlike skeletal muscles, cardiac muscles are involuntary.
The main function of striated muscles is to contract and relax independently. They are responsible for creating force and contractions in the body.











































