Skeletal muscles contain...

Perimysium

A fibrous layer that divides the skeletal muscle into a series of compartments. Contains blood vessels and nerves that maintain blood vessels and nerves that maintain blood flow and control the muscle fibers within the fascicles.

Muscle fibers

Are sheathed in a delicate endomysium that contains capillaries, stem cells, and the axons of the neurons that control the muscle fibers.

Tendon

At the ends of a skeletal muscle, collagen fibers of the connective tissue layers merge to form either a bundle known as a ______________, or a broad sheet called a "aponeurosis".

Aponeurosis

Attaches over a broad area that may involve more than one bone. Where they contract the bone, collagen fibers extend into the bone matrix, providing a firm attachment.

Epimysium

A dense layer of collagen fibers, surrounds the entire muscle. It separates the muscle from surrounding tissues and organs. It is conmected to a dense connective tissue layer.

Muscle fascicle

A bundle of muscle fibers.

Skeletal muscle

A complex organ containing skeletal muscle fibers, the connective tissues that harness the forces of contraction, the blood vessels that nourish the muscle fibers, and the nerves that control the contractions.

Myofibril

A cylindrical structure 1-2 um in diameter and as long as the entire muscle fiber. The sarcoplasm of a single skeletal muscle fiber may contain hundreds to thousands of these.

Sacroplasmic reticulum

Each myofibril is surrounded by a network of membranous channels and chambers called the ___________________. It is comparable to the endoplasmic reticulum of other cells.

Myofilaments

Myofibrils consist of bundles of protein filaments called ......

Sarcoplasm

The cytoplasm is called...

Thin and thick filaments

The most abundant myofilaments are ____________ composed primarily of actin, and ______________ composed primarily of myosin.

Sarcolemma

The plasma membrane is called....

Endomysium

Within a fascicle, the delicate connective tissue of _______________ surrounds the individual skeletal muscle fibers, and loosely interconnects adjacent muscle fibers.