Smooth Muscle Flashcards
Gap junction is present in skeletal muscle. True or false?
False, gap junction is present only in visceral smooth muscle, and it allows the impulses to travel to next cell.
While in SKM there’s no gap between the fibers and impulses can’t travel to next fiber.
Why there’s no need for T-system in smooth muscle?
T- system is not present in smooth muscle and that’s because the cells are small in size, the surface is enough to excite all the cell (no need for membrane invagination)
What do T-system do in SKM?
It transmit impulses deeper to the SKM fibers
Sacroplasmaptic reticulum in SM?
It’s very poorly developed. Some vesicles remain store ca+ in a minor quantity, but ca+ comes mostly from the extracellular space rather than stored in the cell itself. And it’s used for SM cell contraction
Contractile filaments in both SKM and SM
In both SKM and SM, actin, myosin and tropomyosin are present.
But troponin is only present in SKM fibers to keep actin and tropomyosin hold together.
While in SM we have ca+ binding proteins (calmoduling) which do the same function as troponin in SKM fiber.
What trigger contraction in SM?
Electrical stimuli Mechanical stimuli (stretch the SM) Chemical stimuli (NT, hormones)
Speed of contraction in both SKM fibers and SM?
In SKM we can find fast motor unites and slow motor units (takes 10s to 100s)
While in SM its slower than the slowest contraction in SKM fibers (it takes up to minutes)
Relaxation differences between SKM and SM?
Fast relaxation in SKM due to ca+ pump has great activity, it pumps ca+ out from the cytoplasm into SPR very fast.
While slow relaxation in SM due to low ca+ pump activity, it pumps ca+ very slow .
Automaticity?
It’s present only in visceral SM cells. These cells can generate impulses itself and respond to it without any external stimuli.
Do SKM fibers have automticity?
No! Because they need stimulation from nerve endings to the skeletal Neuromuscular fiber.
The innervation of SM
Autonomic nervous system. It regulate the strength of SM contraction.
Since some SM have automaticity, the ANS can tell if the cell need stronger contraction or more frequent
Smooth muscle types?
Two types unitary (visceral) and multi-unitary (non-visceral)
Differences between unitary and multi-unitary SM
In unitary there’s gap junction between the cells but no gap junction can be found in multi-unitary, each cell is a single unite and are isolated. Only visceral (unitary) have automaticity All the cells in multi-unitary are innervated, while not every cell in unitary are innervated since they have automaticity.
Eye papillary and ciliary muscle are found in?
Multi-unitary SM
Gastro intestinal system, bronchii and tracheal muscle are found in?
Unitary SM
What is varicosity?
Its enlargement in the nerve fiber, and it function as presynaptic terminal in the synapse. And it includes vesicles and mitochondria
Smooth muscle have no?
Have no neuromuscular synapse
No sacromeres
What is the function of mitochondria in SM?
Generate energy for NT synthesis
Reuptake of NT
Restoration of normal membrane potential and Ca+ ions concentration