Smooth muscle tissue, as opposed to striated muscle, contracts gently and naturally. It makes up a large portion of the musculature of internal organs and the digestive system
Smooth muscle cells have a thickness of 3-10 m and a length of 20-200 m. Myofilaments dominate the cytoplasm, which is consistently eosinophilic. The nucleus, which is in the core, takes on a cigar-like structure during contraction
Caveolae are tiny pouch-like invaginations generated by the cell membrane in the cytoplasm that function similarly to T-tubules in skeletal muscle. A basal lamina connects smooth muscle cells to the connective tissue that surrounds them
Smooth muscle fibers are organized into branching bundles. Unlike skeletal muscle fibers, these bundles are not perfectly parallel and ordered, but rather constitute a complex structure. As a result, the cells can contract with far more force than striated muscle
Smooth muscle tissue, as opposed to striated muscle, contracts gently and naturally. It makes up a large portion of the musculature of internal organs and the digestive system
Smooth muscle cells have a thickness of 3-10 m and a length of 20-200 m. Myofilaments dominate the cytoplasm, which is consistently eosinophilic. The nucleus, which is in the core, takes on a cigar-like structure during contraction
Caveolae are tiny pouch-like invaginations generated by the cell membrane in the cytoplasm that function similarly to T-tubules in skeletal muscle. A basal lamina connects smooth muscle cells to the connective tissue that surrounds them
Smooth muscle fibers are organized into branching bundles. Unlike skeletal muscle fibers, these bundles are not perfectly parallel and ordered, but rather constitute a complex structure. As a result, the cells can contract with far more force than striated muscle