File:Blausen_0801_SkeletalMuscle.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
myofibril
Sign in to saveAlso known as GO:0030016, myofibrils
A myofibril (also known as a muscle fibril or sarcostyle) is a basic rod-like organelle of a muscle cell. Skeletal muscles are composed of long, tubular cells known as muscle fibers, and these cells contain many chains of myofibrils. Each myofibril has a diameter of 1–2 micrometres. They are created during embryonic development in a process known as myogenesis.
Key facts
- Microanatomy.Name
- Myofibril
- Microanatomy.Latin
- myofibrilla
- Microanatomy.Image
- Blausen 0801 SkeletalMuscle.png
- Microanatomy.Caption
- Skeletal muscle, with myofibrils labeled at upper right.
- Microanatomy.Width
- 300px
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Blausen 0801 SkeletalMuscle.png
Show 2 more facts
- exact match
- purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GO_0030016
- native label
- myofibrilla
via Wikidata · CC0
~7 min read
Article
7 sectionsContents
- Structure
- Appearance
- Development
- Function
- See also
- References
- External links
A myofibril (also known as a muscle fibril or sarcostyle) is a basic rod-like organelle of a muscle cell. Skeletal muscles are composed of long, tubular cells known as muscle fibers, and these cells contain many chains of myofibrils. Each myofibril has a diameter of 1–2 micrometres. They are created during embryonic development in a process known as myogenesis.
Myofibrils are composed of long proteins including actin, myosin, and titin, and other proteins that hold them together. These proteins are organized into thick, thin, and elastic myofilaments, which repeat along the length of the myofibril in sections or units of contraction called sarcomeres. Muscles contract by sliding the thick myosin, and thin actin myofilaments along each other.