Muscle tissue

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Muscle Tissue

Muscle tissue (/ˈmʌsəl ˈtɪʃuː/) is a soft tissue that composes muscles in animal bodies, and gives rise to muscles' ability to contract. This is mainly due to the presence of myofilaments made up of proteins, which are responsible for muscle contraction.

Etymology

The term "muscle" is derived from the Latin word "musculus" which means "little mouse", possibly because of the shape of certain muscles or because contracting muscles look like mice moving under the skin.

Types of Muscle Tissue

There are three types of muscle tissue recognized in vertebrates:

  • Skeletal muscle: Skeletal muscle, also called voluntary muscle, is anchored by tendons to the bone and is used to effect skeletal movement such as locomotion.
  • Smooth muscle: Smooth muscle, also known as involuntary muscle, is found within the walls of organs and structures such as the esophagus, stomach, intestines, bronchi, uterus, urethra, and blood vessels.
  • Cardiac muscle: Cardiac muscle is also an involuntary muscle but is a specialized kind of muscle tissue that forms the heart.

Related Terms

  • Myocyte: A type of cell found in muscle tissue.
  • Myofibril: A basic rod-like unit of a muscle cell.
  • Sarcomere: The basic unit of a muscle's cross-striated myofibril.
  • Actin: A protein that forms (together with myosin) the contractile filaments of muscle cells.
  • Myosin: A type of motor protein that is involved in muscle contraction.

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