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9.2: Overview of Muscle Tissues

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    By the end of this section, you will be able to:

    • Describe the different types of muscle
    • Explain contractility and extensibility

    Muscle is one of the four primary tissue types of the body, and the body contains three types of muscle tissue: skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle (Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)). All muscle tissues have four functional properties in common which include excitability, contractility, extensibility, and elasticity.

    They all exhibit a quality called excitability as their plasma membranes can change their electrical states (from polarized to depolarized) and send an electrical wave called an action potential along the entire surface of each cell. While the nervous system can influence the excitability of cardiac and smooth muscle to some degree, skeletal muscle completely depends on signaling from the nervous system to work properly. On the other hand, both cardiac muscle and smooth muscle can respond to other stimuli, such as hormones and local stimuli.

    Muscles begin the process of contracting (shortening) when a protein called actin is pulled by a protein called myosin. This occurs in striated muscle (skeletal and cardiac) in the presence of calcium ions (Ca++) which is regulated by electrical signaling. Ca++ also is required for the contraction of smooth muscle, although its role is different: here Ca++ activates enzymes, which in turn activate myosin heads. All muscles require adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to continue the process of contracting, and they all relax when the Ca++ is removed.

    Contractility allows muscle tissue to pull on its attachment points and shorten with force. Muscle tissue also has the quality of extensibility; it can stretch or extend. Following contraction or extension, a muscle can return to its original length when relaxed due to a quality of muscle tissue called elasticity. It can recoil back to its original length due to elastic proteins.

    Differences among the three muscle types include the microscopic organization of their contractile proteins—actin and myosin. The actin and myosin proteins are arranged very regularly in the cytoplasm of individual muscle cells (referred to as fibers) in both skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle, which creates a pattern, or stripes, called striations. The striations are visible with a light microscope under high magnification (see Figure \(\PageIndex{1.a,c}\)). Skeletal muscle fibers are multinucleated cells that compose the skeletal muscle. Cardiac muscle fibers each have one to two nuclei and are physically and electrically connected to each other so that the entire heart contracts as one unit (called a syncytium).

    Because the actin and myosin are not arranged in such regular fashion in smooth muscle, the cytoplasm of a smooth muscle fiber (which has only a single nucleus) has a uniform, nonstriated appearance (resulting in the name smooth muscle). However, the less organized appearance of smooth muscle should not be interpreted as less efficient. Smooth muscle in the walls of arteries is a critical component that regulates blood pressure necessary to push blood through the circulatory system; and smooth muscle in the skin, visceral organs, and internal passageways is essential for moving all materials through the body and maintaining homeostasis.

    Skeletal, Smooth, and Cardiac muscle tissue as viewed under the microscope
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\). The Three Types of Muscle Tissue. The body contains three types of muscle tissue: (a) skeletal muscle, LM × 1600 (b) smooth muscle, LM × 1600 (c) cardiac muscle, LM × 1600. (Image credit: "Skeletal Smooth Cardiac" by OpenStax is licensed under CC BY 3.0/Micrographs provided by the Regents of University of Michigan Medical School © 2012)

    Concept Review

    Muscle is the tissue in animals that allows for active movement of the body or materials within the body. There are three types of muscle tissue: skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle. Most of the body’s skeletal muscle produces movement by acting on the skeleton. Cardiac muscle is found in the wall of the heart and pumps blood through the circulatory system. Smooth muscle is found in the skin, where it is associated with hair follicles; it also is found in the walls of internal organs, blood vessels, and internal passageways, where it assists in moving materials.

    Review Questions

    Q. Muscle that has a striped appearance is described as being ________.

    A. elastic

    B. nonstriated

    C. excitable

    D. striated

    Answer

    Answer: D

    Q. Which element is important in directly triggering contraction?

    A. sodium (Na+)

    B. calcium (Ca++)

    C. potassium (K+)

    D. chloride (Cl-)

    Answer

    Answer: B

    Q. Which of the following properties is not common to all three muscle tissues?

    A. excitability

    B. the need for ATP

    C. polarity

    D. elasticity

    Answer

    Answer: C

    Critical Thinking Questions

    Q. Why is elasticity an important quality of muscle tissue?

    Answer

    A. It allows muscle to return to its original length during relaxation after contraction.

    Glossary

    cardiac muscle
    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.
    contractility
    ability to shorten (contract) forcibly
    elasticity
    ability to stretch and rebound
    excitability
    ability to undergo neural stimulation
    extensibility
    ability to lengthen (extend)
    skeletal muscle
    striated, multinucleated muscle that requires signaling from the nervous system to trigger contraction; most skeletal muscles are referred to as voluntary muscles that move bones and produce movement
    smooth muscle
    nonstriated, mononucleated muscle in the skin that is associated with hair follicles; assists in moving materials in the walls of internal organs, blood vessels, and internal passageways

    Contributors and Attributions

    This page titled 9.2: Overview of Muscle Tissues is shared under a CC BY license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Whitney Menefee, Julie Jenks, Chiara Mazzasette, & Kim-Leiloni Nguyen (ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative) .