Question

Describe how the structural makeup of a muscle contributes to the muscle's ability to do its job.

Answer 1

The basic structure of a muscle fiber is comprised of actin and myosin protein chains that straddle each other in a fusiform arrangement. The actin and myosin arrays interlock and move past each other to cause contraction of the muscle. They then move back to their initial positions in relaxation. This gives muscles their elasticity and distensibility.  The muscle fibers are bundled, in their 10s to 100s up into myofibrils around an endomysium. Many myofibrils are also bound up in a perimysium to form a muscle fiber.