Lab Quiz #9: Muscle Microanatomy

What are thick filaments?

They are protein structures in muscle fibers, composed of protein myosin that interact with thin filaments to cause muscle contraction

What are thin filaments?

They are protein structures in muscle cells made of protein actin, along with tropomyosin and troponin

What is the relationship between thick and thin filaments to the sarcomere?

The thick filaments are located in the center of the sarcomere, while thin filaments extend inward from the ends where they meet the thick filaments

What do connective tissue sheaths in muscle surround?

The entire muscle (epimysium), bundles of muscle fibers called fascicles (perimysium), and individual muscle fibers (endomysium)

What is the brief function of neuromuscular junction?

To transmit signals from a motor neuron to a muscle fiber, triggering muscle contraction