Anatomy Part 7a

Muscle Tissue
Although bones provide leverage and form the framework of the body,
they cannot move the body on their own. Motion results from the
alternating contraction (shortening) and relaxation of muscle tissue,
which constitutes 40-50% of total body weight
Types of Muscle Tissue:
The three kinds of muscle tissue
– skeletal, cardiac and

smooth –
differ from
one another in their microscopic
anatomy, location and control
by the nervous and endocrine
Skeletal muscle tissue - Attached primarily to bones, and moves
parts of the skeleton. Described as striated because alternating
light and dark bands are visible when examined under a
microscope. It is a voluntary muscle tissue, as it can be made to
contract and relax by conscious control.
Cardiac muscle tissue - Forms most of the heart. Also striated,
but is involuntary; its contraction is usually not under conscious
control.
Smooth muscle tissue – Located in the walls of hollow internal
structures, such as blood vessels, stomach, intestines. Also found
in the skin attached to hair follicles. Under microscopic view,
appears nonstriated / smooth, and usually is involuntary muscle
tissue.
Functions of Muscle Tissue:
Muscles have four key functions: producing motion,
providing stabilization, moving substances, and generating
heat.
1. Motion – Seen in movements such as lifting limbs and

walking, and in localised and highly co-ordinated movement
patterns like grasping a pen. Movement relies on integrated
functioning of bones, muscles and joints.
2. Stabilization – Besides from movement, muscle tissue
contractions also maintain stable body positions
3. Movement of substances – Cardiac muscle contractions
pump blood to all body areas and help maintain blood
pressure. Smooth muscle contractions aid in movement of
substances through the digestive, reproductive and urinary
systems
4. Thermogenesis – As skeletal muscle contracts to perform
work, a by-product is heat. Muscle is metabolically active
tissue and is therefore involved in maintaining body
temperature (muscle tissue can generate up to 85% of body
heat)
Characteristics of Muscle Tissue:
Five characteristics of this tissue type allow it
to carry out its functions
Excitability: a property of both muscle cells
and nerve cells; it is the ability to respond to
certain stimuli by producing electrical signals
called action potentials (impulses)
Conductivity: is the ability of a cell, especially
a muscle or nerve cell, to conduct action
potentials along the cell/plasma membrane
Contractility: is the ability of muscle tissue to shorten and
thicken (contract), thus generating force, to do work
Extensibility: describes that muscles can be extended
(stretched) without damaging the tissue. Most skeletal muscles
are arranged in opposing pairs; while one is contracting, the
other not only is relaxed but also is often being stretched.
Elasticity: relates to muscle tissue tending to return to its
original shape after contraction or extension
Skeletal Muscle Structure:
Three layers of dense, irregular connective tissue protect

and strengthen skeletal muscle. The outermost layer,
encircling the whole muscle is the epimysium. The
perimysium surrounds bundles of 10-100 or more individual
muscle fibres; which are called fascicles. Penetrating into the
interior of each fascicle and separating individual muscle
fibres from one another is endomysium.
All three of the above are all continuous with the connective tissue that
attaches the muscle to other structures, such as bone or other muscles.
All three connective tissue
layers may extend beyond
the muscle fibres to form a
tendon, which attaches a
muscle to the periosteum
on a bone.
Some tendons are

enclosed in their own layer
of connective tissue,
called tendon sheaths.
Similar to bursae, they
reduce friction as tendons
contract.
Microscopic Structure of Skeletal Muscles
Hundreds or thousands of very long, cylindrical cells

called muscle fibres or muscle cells can be seen under
microscopic view. These run parallel to one another.
The plasma membrane of a muscle cell is called a
sarcolemma, which surrounds the fibre cytoplasm, the
sarcoplasm.
At high magnification the sarcoplasm appears filled with
little threads, which are called myofibrils.
Myofibrils are the contractile elements of skeletal
muscle. They contain three types of even smaller
structures called filaments (myofilaments).
Thick filaments are formed by the contractile protein
myosin
Thin filaments are formed by the contractile protein actin
The protein titin makes up the elastic filaments
Muscle Fibre Types:
Skeletal muscle fibres are not all identical in structure and
function. For example, they vary in colour depending on
amount of myoglobin, a red coloured protein.
Skeletal muscle fibres that have a high myoglobin content are
termed red muscle fibres; while those with low myoglobin
content are termed white muscle fibres.
Red fibres also have more mitochondria and blood capillaries.
Slow Oxidative / Type I fibres : Smallest in diameter, also
called slow-twitch or fatigue resistant fibres. They contain
large amounts of myoglobin, many mitochondria and blood
capillaries; thus look red. High capacity to generate ATP via
the aerobic system, ie. oxidative
Fast Oxidative / Type II a fibres : Intermediate in

diameter, also called fast-twitch or fatigue-resistant fibres.
They also have large amounts of myoglobin, mitochondria
and capillaries. Therefore red in colour, and high oxidative
capacity. Most athletes tend to have a high
number of these fibres.
Fast Glycolytic / Type II b / II x : Largest in diameter, also
called fast-twitch or fast-fatiguing fibres. They have low
myoglobin content, few mitochondria and relatively few blood
capillaries; appear white/light in colour. They are poor at
regenerating ATP oxidatively, but use stored carbohydrates in
the form of glycogen to re-form ATP; ie. glycolytic
Most skeletal muscles are

a mixture of all three
types, but their proportion
varies depending on
genetics, the usual
muscle action of the
muscle, and exercise

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Anatomy Part 7a

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Muscle Tissue

Types of Muscle Tissue:

The three kinds of muscle tissue

– skeletal, cardiac and

1. Motion – Seen in movements such as lifting limbs and

Three layers of dense, irregular connective tissue protect

Some tendons are

Hundreds or thousands of very long, cylindrical cells

Fast Oxidative / Type II a fibres : Intermediate in

Most skeletal muscles are

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