Chapter 9, Problem 1CYU

When describing muscle, what does “striated” mean?

Summary Introduction

To review:

The meaning of “striated” in terms of muscle.

Introduction:

The cells that constitute muscle tissues are termed as muscle cells. In the human body, there are three basic types of muscle cells: skeletal, cardiac, and smooth. They are also known as myocytes.

Explanation of Solution

Skeletal muscle cells are the ones connected to the skeleton and are important for locomotion. They are cylindrical, long, and striated. They have more than one nucleus (multinucleated) and are voluntary in function. They are the longest myocytes and have stripes, which are called striations.

Cardiac muscle cells are found in the heart, constituting the bulk of the heart walls. Like the first type, they are striated, but not voluntary.

Smooth muscle cells are found in the hollow visceral organs: the stomach, respiratory passage, and urinary bladder. They are also elongated like the first type, but do not have striations.

Conclusion

Therefore, it can be concluded that striated means muscle cells having stripes and there are onlytwo types of muscle cells out of three thathave these striations, namely, skeletal myocytes and cardiac myocytes.