EXERCISE 11
Name: Capiral, Adrian Orrick T.
Lab Time/Date: 09/22/2023
Microscopic Anatomy and Organization of Skeletal Muscle
Skeletal Muscle Cells and Their Packaging into Muscles
1. From the inside out, name the three types of connective tissue wrappings of a skeletal
muscle.
a. endomysium b. perimysium c. epimysium
Why are the connective tissue wrappings of skeletal muscle important? (Give at least three
reasons.) They support and bind muscle fibers, strengthen the muscle as a whole, and
provide a route for the entry and exit of nerves and blood vessels that serve the muscle
fibers.
2. On the following figure, label endomysium, perimysium, epimysium, and fascicle.
Perimysium
Blood vessel
Endomysium
Muscle cell (fiber)
Tendon Epimysium Fascicle
3 The diagram illustrates a small portion of a muscle myofibril in a highly simplified way.
Using terms from the key, correctly identify each structure indicated by a leader line or a
bracket.
Key: actin filament myosin filament
A band sarcomere
I band Z disc Sarcomere
Z disc
A band I band Myosin filament Actin filament
4. Relative to your observations of muscle fiber contraction:
a. What percentage of contraction was observed with the solution containing ATP, K+,
and Mg2+? 25% With just ATP? 0% With just Mg2+ and K+ 0%
b. Explain your observations. Although ATP provides energy required, it cannot
cause muscle fiber contraction alone; it does not directly interact with contractile
proteins like myosin and actin. Whereas potassium that activate ATPases and
magnesium ions that maintain the resting membrane potential of muscles cells
together with ATP collectively support the initiation and sustenance of
contraction. Lastly, magnesium and potassium ions together cannot initiate
muscle fiber contraction without the presence of ATP since the process is
primarily driven by the hydrolysis of ATP.
The Neuromuscular Junction
5. In order for skeletal muscle cells to contract they must be excited by motor neurons.
However, the electrical impulse cannot pass directly from a nerve cell to the skeletal muscle
cells to excite them. Just what does pass from the neuron to the muscle cells, and what
effect does it produce? The neurotransmitter acetylcholine diffuses from the axon into
the synaptic cleft and binds to receptors on the muscle cells. This binding alters the
permeability of the muscle cells, enabling an increased flow of sodium ions into the
muscle fiber, leading to the initiation of an action potential.
6. Why is it that the electrical impulse cannot pass from neuron to muscle cell? The
neuron and muscle fiber membranes, despite their close proximity, do not make direct
contact; instead, they are separated by a narrow fluid-filled space known as the synaptic
cleft.
Classification of Skeletal Muscles
7. Several criteria were given for the naming of muscles. Match the muscle names (column
B) to the criteria (column A). Note that more than one muscle may fit the criterion in some
cases.
Column A Column B
Flexor digitorum superficialis 1. action of the pectoralis major
muscle
Deltoid 2. shape of the flexor digitorum
muscle superficialis
Pectoralis major/ Biceps brachii 3. location of the biceps brachii
origin and/or
insertion of the
muscle
Biceps brachii 4. number of origins abdominis
transversus
erector spinae
Erector spinae / Abdominis 5. location of the
transversus / External intercostals muscle relative to a
bone or body region deltoid
Rectus abdominis/ Abdominis 6. direction in rectus abdominis
transversus which the muscle
fibers run relative to
some imaginary line
Pectoralis major 7. relative size of external intercostals
the muscle
8. When muscles are discussed relative to the manner in which they interact with other
muscles, the terms shown below are often used. Define each term.
Antagonist: term for the triceps brachii during elbow flexion
term for the iliopsoas during hip extension
Fixator: term for the rotator cuff muscles and deltoid when the elbow is flexed and the
hand grabs a tabletop to lift the table
Prime mover: term for the biceps brachii during elbow flexion
Synergist: term that describes the relation of brachialis to biceps brachii during elbow
flexion
