Actin
The thin filaments of a sarcomere consist of actin, troponin, and tropomyosin proteins. These filaments are responsible for interacting with myosin during muscle contraction, leading to the sliding of filaments and shortening of the sarcomere.
The filament connected to the Z line in a muscle cell is thin filament, specifically actin filament. Thick filaments (myosin) are connected to the M line in the sarcomere.
Z-lines separate one sarcomere from the next within a myofibril. These are structures composed of actin filaments where thin filaments from adjacent sarcomeres are anchored.
In the sliding filament theory of muscle contraction, the thin filament (actin) slides over the thick filament (myosin). Myosin is responsible for pulling the actin filaments towards the center of the sarcomere during muscle contraction.
M-line, causing overlap with the thick filament during muscle contraction. This results in the sarcomere shortening and overall muscle contraction.
The dark staining area of a sarcomere is the A band, which contains overlapping thick and thin filaments. The A band gives the sarcomere its striated appearance and is involved in muscle contraction.
No, actin filaments do not extend the entire length of a sarcomere. Actin filaments are found in the I band and span from the Z line towards the middle of the sarcomere, where they overlap with myosin filaments. The myosin filaments extend the length of the sarcomere in the A band.
The filament is made of tungten and these 'wires' (filament) conduct electricity.
The myosin myofilament pulls on the actin myofilament during muscle contraction. This interaction, known as the sliding filament theory, results in the shortening of the sarcomere and muscle contraction.
During muscle contraction, the thin filaments (actin) are pulled towards the center of the sarcomere, which causes the Z-lines to move closer together. This process is facilitated by the interaction between actin and myosin filaments during the sliding filament mechanism of muscle contraction.
The three sections along the length of a sarcomere are the A band, the I band, and the H zone. The A band is the dark region in the center of the sarcomere that contains both thick and thin filaments, while the I band is the light region at the ends of the sarcomere that contains thin filaments only. The H zone is the region in the center of the sarcomere where only thick filaments are present.