Muscle Contraction

A set of flashcards covering key vocabulary related to the process of muscle contraction and the neuromuscular junction.

Muscle Contraction

The process involving actin and myosin proteins that results in muscle shortening and force production.

Actin Filament

A thin filament protein that interacts with myosin during muscle contraction.

Myosin Filament

A thick filament protein that has heads that bind to actin during muscle contraction.

Troponin

A protein that binds calcium ions and participates in the regulation of muscle contraction.

Tropomyosin

A protein that blocks the binding sites on actin filaments in the absence of calcium.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

The primary energy carrier in cells, crucial for muscle contraction.

Cross-Bridge

The connection formed when myosin heads attach to binding sites on actin filaments.

Power Stroke

The movement that occurs when the myosin head pulls the actin filament during contraction.

Calcium Ion (Ca2+)

An essential ion released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum that initiates muscle contraction.

Neuromuscular Junction

The synapse between a motor neuron and a muscle fiber allowing for communication and contraction.

Sarcoplasmic Reticulum

The organelle in muscle cells that stores calcium ions for contraction.

Sarcomere

The basic unit of striated muscle tissue, defined by the Z line and the region of myofibrils between two Z lines.

Acetylcholine (Ach)

A neurotransmitter released at the neuromuscular junction that stimulates muscle contraction.

Z-line

The boundary structure of a sarcomere, to which actin filaments are anchored.