Myofibrilla (Noun)
Meaning
One of many contractile filaments that make up a striated muscle fiber.
Classification
Nouns denoting body parts.
Examples
- Each myofibrilla contains thousands of repeating sections of sarcomeres that are aligned in series.
- The sarcomere is the smallest contractile unit of the myofibrilla, composed of interdigitating thick and thin filaments.
- A muscle fiber consists of numerous myofibrillas arranged in a hexagonal lattice.
- Muscle contraction occurs as a result of the sliding of myosin and actin filaments within each myofibrilla.
- Electron micrographs show the detailed structure of myofibrillas and the relationships between them in striated muscle.