Muscle Terms

Tendon

Connects muscle to bone

Muscle fiber

Also known as a muscle cell

Myosin

The protein that makes up the thick filament

Sarcomere

Structural unit of muscle contraction

Smooth muscle

Found in bladder, blood vessels, and intestines

Fascicle

Bundle of muscle fibers

Perimysium

Covering that surrounds fascicles

Fascia

Creates compartments of muscles, vessels, and nerves

Myofilaments

Bundled together, they make a myofibril

Endomysium

Covering of a single muscle cell

Nerve cell impulse

Initiates muscle contraction

Transverse T tubules

Channels that extend from the cell membrane deep into the cell

Sarcoplasmic reticulum

Stores calcium ions in a muscle cell

Sarcolemma

Cell membrane of a muscle fiber

Epimysium

Covers the entire skeletal muscle

Cardiac muscle

Found in the heart

Myofibril

Made of actin and myosin filaments

Actin

The protein that makes up the thin filament