Striated Muscle

Striated muscles which are also known as skeletal muscles are the muscles that are attached to the bones of the skeleton and are responsible for voluntary movement. Striated muscles  are characterized by their striated appearance, which results from the repeating pattern of light and dark bands called sarcomeres. The striations are created by the arrangement of protein filaments within the muscle fibers and are a result of the sliding of these filaments past one another during muscle contraction.

Striated Muscle Diagram

Description of Striated Muscle Diagram labels is as follows

1. Myofibril -Myofibril is a small, cylindrical muscle fiber that is made up of many myofilaments. Myofilaments are composed of contractile proteins actin and myosin . 
2. Sarcolemma – Sarcolemma is the cell membrane of a muscle cell. It surrounds the Sarcoplasm and the Myofibrils and helps to maintain the integrity of the muscle cell.
3. Nucleus -Nucleus is the central structure of a cell that contains genetic material. In muscle cells, the nucleus is located near the center of the cell and it helps to control the growth, function and repair of the muscle fibers.
4. Dark Band (A band)– Dark band is the region of a muscle fiber that is rich in protein myosin. This band is also called as A band, and is responsible for the striated appearance of the muscle fibers.
5. Light Band (I band)– Light band is a region of a muscle fiber that contains only thin filaments and  is rich in the protein actin. This band is called the I band, and it is responsible for the striated appearance of skeletal muscle fibers.

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Also Check – Differentiate between Striated, Smooth and Cardiac Muscles on the basis of their structure and Site/ Location in the body

Also Check – Differentiate between Bone and Cartilage with respect to Structure Functions and Location.