3.3 Muscle Tissue and Mechanism of Movement

1. Acetylcholine

(ACh)

Neurotransmitter that binds at a motor end-plate to trigger depolarization

2. Actin Protein that makes up most of the thin myofilaments in a sarcomere muscle fiber

3. Action potential Change in voltage of a cell membrane in response to a stimulus that results in

transmission of an electrical signal; unique to neurons and muscle fibers

4. Aerobic respiration

Production of ATP in the presence of oxygen

5. Agonist (also, prime mover) Muscle whose contraction is responsible for producing a

particular motion

6. Antagonist Muscle that opposes the action of an agonist

7. ATPase Enzyme that hydrolyzes ATP to ADP

8. Autorhythmicity Heart's ability to control its own contractions

9. Basal lamina Thin extracellular layer that lies underneath epithelial cells and separates them

from other tissues

10. Cardiac muscle Heart muscle, under involuntary control, composed of striated cells that attach to

form fibers, each cell contains a single nucleus, contracts autonomously; Striated

muscle found in the heart; joined to one another at intercalated discs and under

the regulation of pacemaker cells, which contract as one unit to pump blood

through the circulatory system. Cardiac muscle is under involuntary control.

11. Collagen fiber Flexible fibrous proteins that give connective tissue tensile strength

12. Connective tissue Type of tissue that serves to hold in place, connect, and integrate the body's organs

and systems

13. Contractility Ability to shorten (contract) forcibly

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14. Dense connective

tissue

Connective tissue proper that contains many fibers that provide both elasticity and

protection

15. Depolarize To reduce the voltage difference between the inside and outside of a cell's plasma

membrane (the sarcolemma for a muscle fiber), making the inside less negative

than at rest

16. Elastic cartilage Type of cartilage, with elastin as the major protein, characterized by rigid support

as well as elasticity

17. Elasticity Ability to stretch and rebound

18. Endomysium Loose, and well-hydrated connective tissue covering each muscle fiber in a skeletal

muscle

19. Epimysium Outer layer of connective tissue around a skeletal muscle

20. Excitability Ability to undergo neural stimulation

21. Excitation-contraction coupling

Sequence of events from motor neuron signaling to a skeletal muscle fiber to

contraction of the fiber's sarcomeres

22. Extensibility Ability to lengthen (extend)

23. Glycolysis Anaerobic breakdown of glucose to ATP

24. Hyaline cartilage Most common type of cartilage, smooth and made of short collagen fibers embedded in a chondroitin sulfate ground substance

25. Intercalated disc Part of the sarcolemma that connects cardiac tissue, and contains gap junctions

and desmosomes

26. Lactic acid Product of anaerobic glycolysis

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27. Latch-bridges Subset of a cross-bridge in which actin and myosin remain locked together

28. Latent period The time when a twitch does not produce contraction

29. Motor end-plate Sarcolemma of muscle fiber at the neuromuscular junction, with receptors for the

neurotransmitter acetylcholine

30. Motor unit Motor neuron and the group of muscle fibers it innervates

31. Muscle tension Force generated by the contraction of the muscle; tension generated during

isotonic contractions and isometric contractions

32. Muscle tissue Type of tissue that is capable of contracting and generating tension in response to

stimulation; produces movement.

33. Myoblast Muscle-forming stem cell

34. Myocyte Muscle cells

35. Myofibril Long, cylindrical organelle that runs parallel within the muscle fiber and contains

the sarcomeres

36. Myogram Instrument used to measure twitch tension

37. Myosin Protein that makes up most of the thick cylindrical myofilament within a sarcomere

muscle fiber

38. Neuromuscular

junction (NMJ)

Synapse between the axon terminal of a motor neuron and the section of the

membrane of a muscle fiber with receptors for the acetylcholine released by the

terminal

39. Neurotransmitter

Signaling chemical released by nerve terminals that bind to and activate receptors

on target cells

40. Oxygen debt

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Amount of oxygen needed to compensate for ATP produced without oxygen during

muscle contraction

41. Perimysium Connective tissue that bundles skeletal muscle fibers into fascicles within a skeletal

muscle

42. Power stroke Action of myosin pulling actin inward (toward the M line)

43. Prime mover (also, agonist) Principle muscle involved in an action

44. Pyruvic acid Product of glycolysis that can be used in aerobic respiration or converted to lactic

acid

45. Recruitment Increase in the number of motor units involved in contraction

46. Relaxation phase Period after twitch contraction when tension decreases

47. Reticular fiber Fine fibrous protein, made of collagen subunits, which cross-link to form supporting "nets" within connective tissue

48. Reticular lamina Matrix containing collagen and elastin secreted by connective tissue; a component

of the basement membrane

49. Reticular tissue Type of loose connective tissue that provides a supportive framework to soft organs,

such as lymphatic tissue, spleen, and the liver

50. Sarcolemma Plasma membrane of a skeletal muscle fiber

51. Sarcomere Longitudinally, repeating functional unit of skeletal muscle, with all of the contractile and associated proteins involved in contraction

52. Sarcoplasm Cytoplasm of a muscle cell

53. Sarcoplasmic