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AAT Bioquest

Which type of muscle tissue exhibits staircase arrangement?

Posted October 26, 2023


Answer

Smooth muscle tissue exhibits staircase arrangement. Smooth muscle is a type of non-striated, involuntary muscle that lines the organs in the body. It is composed of narrow, spindle-shaped cells, each of which has a centrally-located nucleus

The staircase arrangement in smooth muscles is due to the distinctive manner in which the thin actin filaments and thick myosin filaments are arranged. The two types of protein filaments are arranged in a stacked pattern that resembles a staircase with the actin filaments running from one side of the cell to the other and the myosin filaments arranged alongside the actin filaments at angles throughout the cell. This staircase arrangement facilitates the contraction and relaxation of smooth muscles.  

Additional resources

4D anisotropic skeletal muscle tissue constructs fabricated by staircase effect strategy

ATP & ADP

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