Myofilament

The filaments of myofibrils constructed from proteins, myofilaments, consist of 2 types, thick and thin. Thin filaments consist primarily of the protein actin; thick filaments consist primarily of the protein myosin. The protein complex composed of actin and myosin is sometimes referred to as "actomyosin." In striated muscle, such as skeletal and cardiac muscle, the actin and myosin filaments each have a specific and constant length on the order of a few micrometers, far less than the length of the elongated muscle cell (a few millimeters in the case of human skeletal muscle cells). The filaments are organized into repeated subunits along the length of the myofibril. These subunits are called sarcomeres.

See also

• sarcomere

External links

• Diagrams and explanations at biomol.uci.edu