Muscular Tissue Structure and Function

Characteristics of Muscle Tissue

• Muscle tissue cells have the special ability to shorten or contract, producing movement of body parts
• Muscle tissue is highly cellular and well supplied with blood vessels
• The contractile proteins in muscle tissue are actin and myosin
• The cytoplasm in muscle fibers is called sarcoplasm, which contains a network of membrane called the sarcoplasmic reticulum
• The membrane surrounding muscle fibers is called sarcolemma

Types of Muscle Tissue

• There are three main categories of muscle tissue: skeletal, smooth, and cardiac
• Skeletal muscle tissue is also referred to as striated muscle tissue