1 Nerve impulse arrives at

axon terminal of motor

neurone and triggers release
Nerve of acetylcholine (ACh). Muscle action
impulse potential

2 ACh diffuses across Transverse tubule

synaptic cleft, binds
to its receptors in the
motor end plate, and
triggers a muscle 4 Muscle AP travelling along
action potential (AP). transverse tubule opens Ca2+
release channels in the
sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)
268 ACh receptor membrane, which allows calcium
3 Acetylcholinesterase in
Synaptic vesicle synaptic cleft destroys ions to flood into the sarcoplasm.
filled with ACh ACh so another muscle
action potential does not
arise unless more ACh is SR
released from motor neurone. Ca 2+

9 Muscle relaxes.

2+
8 Troponintropomyosin 5 Ca binds to troponin on
complex slides back the thin filament, exposing
into position where it the binding sites for myosin.
blocks the myosin
binding sites on actin.

Elevated Ca2+

Ca2+ active
transport pumps

6 Contraction: power strokes

7 Ca2+ release channels in use ATP; myosin heads bind
SR close and Ca2+ active to actin, swivel, and release;
transport pumps use ATP thin filaments are pulled toward
to restore low level of centre of sarcomere.
Ca2+ in sarcoplasm.

Figure 9.4 Summary of muscle contraction and relaxation (Tortora and Derrickson 2009)