Overview of muscle development and function
(http://www.patient.co.uk/health/muscular-dystrophies-an-overview#)
How do muscles handle the stress applied to them?
- new skeletal muscle fibers form by fusion of myoblasts
- myoblasts will continue to proliferate as long as certain growth factors such as FGF or HGF are present
- once the growth factors are removed, the myoblasts rapidly stop dividing, differentiate, and eventually fuse to form fibers these muscle fibers contain intracellular and extracellular components that are responsible for providing support to the fibers during contraction processes
(http://www.patient.co.uk/health/muscular-dystrophies-an-overview#)
How do muscles handle the stress applied to them?
- muscles generate large forces between their fibers during contraction and relaxation (weightlifting, etc)
- complexes of proteins at the muscle membrane or sarcolemma are necessary to transmit force of contraction to connective tissue and tendons
Dystroglycan-glycoprotein complex
(http://stritch.luc.edu/physio/content/renzhi-han-phd)
- main function: to provide structural stability to muscle cell membrane during cycles of contraction and relaxation
(http://stritch.luc.edu/physio/content/renzhi-han-phd)