The functional unit of a skeletal muscle responsible for contraction is called what?

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Multiple Choice

The functional unit of a skeletal muscle responsible for contraction is called what?

Contraction in skeletal muscle happens at the sarcomere, the basic contractile unit of a muscle fiber. A sarcomere is the segment between two Z discs and houses the thick and thin filaments (myosin and actin) that interact during contraction. When signals trigger cross-bridge cycling, these filaments slide past each other, shortening the sarcomere. Many sarcomeres lined up in series form a myofibril, and several myofibrils make up a muscle fiber. A fascicle is a bundle of fibers, and myofilaments refer to the individual actin and myosin filaments inside the sarcomere. So the unit directly responsible for generating contractile force is the sarcomere.

Contraction in skeletal muscle happens at the sarcomere, the basic contractile unit of a muscle fiber. A sarcomere is the segment between two Z discs and houses the thick and thin filaments (myosin and actin) that interact during contraction. When signals trigger cross-bridge cycling, these filaments slide past each other, shortening the sarcomere. Many sarcomeres lined up in series form a myofibril, and several myofibrils make up a muscle fiber. A fascicle is a bundle of fibers, and myofilaments refer to the individual actin and myosin filaments inside the sarcomere. So the unit directly responsible for generating contractile force is the sarcomere.

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