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The sarcoplasmic reticulum is a network of the tubules that extend throughout muscle cells, wrapping around (but not in direct contact with) the myofibrils (contractile units of the cell). Cardiac and skeletal muscle cells contain structures called transverse tubules (T-tubules) , which are extensions of the cell membrane that travel into the ...
Terminal cisternae are discrete regions within the muscle cell. They store calcium (increasing the capacity of the sarcoplasmic reticulum to release calcium) and release it when an action potential courses down the transverse tubules, eliciting muscle contraction. [2]
The unusual microscopic anatomy of a muscle cell gave rise to its terminology. The cytoplasm in a muscle cell is termed the sarcoplasm; the smooth endoplasmic reticulum of a muscle cell is termed the sarcoplasmic reticulum; and the cell membrane in a muscle cell is termed the sarcolemma. [9]
The rapid spread of the action potential along the T-tubule network activates all of the L-type calcium channels near-simultaneously. As T-tubules bring the sarcolemma very close to the sarcoplasmic reticulum at all regions throughout the cell, calcium can then be released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum across the whole cell at the same time.
The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), from the Greek σάρξ sarx ("flesh"), is smooth ER found in muscle cells. The only structural difference between this organelle and the smooth endoplasmic reticulum is the composition of proteins they have, both bound to their membranes and drifting within the confines of their lumens.
Within the lumen of the cardiac myocyte, the sarcoplasmic reticulum serves as the area of controlling the amount of calcium influx into the interior of the cell. [4] After traveling through the t- tubule, the calcium is stored in the sarcoplasmic reticulum to maintain low concentration of calcium inside the lumen.
The conduction of action potentials along the T-tubules stimulates the opening of voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels which are mechanically coupled to Ca 2+ release channels in the sarcoplasmic reticulum. [9] The Ca 2+ then diffuses out of the sarcoplasmic reticulum to the myofibrils so it can stimulate contraction. The endplate potential is thus ...
Calsequestrin is a calcium-binding protein that acts as a calcium buffer within the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The protein helps hold calcium in the cisterna of the sarcoplasmic reticulum after a muscle contraction, even though the concentration of calcium in the sarcoplasmic reticulum is much higher than in the cytosol. It also helps the ...