Smooth Muscle Function Quiz: Structure and Physiology

10 Questions

Anchoring actin filaments and transmitting force to adjacent cells

Interspersed among the actin filaments to facilitate muscle contraction

Actin filaments radiating from two dense bodies overlapping a single myosin filament

Myosin filaments have more than twice the diameter of actin filaments

Form bonds with dense bodies of adjacent cells to transmit force of contraction

Anchoring actin filaments

Alpha-actinin

Interwoven with actin filaments

Generating force for muscle contraction

Forming bonds with adjacent cells' dense bodies

Study Notes

Dense bodies in smooth muscle are the primary sites for force transmission and anchoring of the actin filaments.
Myosin filaments in smooth muscle generate force through their interaction with actin filaments.
Individual contractile units in smooth muscle are arranged in a non-striated, irregular pattern.
In smooth muscle, the diameter of myosin filaments is thicker than that of actin filaments.
Some dense bodies in smooth muscle attach to adjacent cells through adherens junctions.
The function of dense bodies in smooth muscle is to act as anchoring sites for actin filaments and to transmit the force generated by the contraction of the muscle.
Structural proteins, such as vinculin and α-actinin, link the dispersed dense bodies in smooth muscle.
Myosin filaments in smooth muscle are arranged in a helical pattern, allowing for the generation of force in multiple directions.
The function of myosin filaments in smooth muscle is to generate force through their interaction with actin filaments.
Dense bodies attached to the cell membrane in smooth muscle act as anchoring sites, transmitting the force generated by muscle contraction to the surrounding tissue.