Why Is the Myofibril Important?

Myofibrils are made up of sarcomeres, the functional units of a muscle. The function of the myofibril is to perform muscle contraction via the sliding-filament model. When muscles are at rest, there is incomplete overlap between the thin and thick filaments, with some areas containing only one of the two types.

What is the purpose of a myofibril?

Myofibril, very fine contractile fibres, groups of which extend in parallel columns along the length of striated muscle fibres. The myofibrils are made up of thick and thin myofilaments, which help give the muscle its striped appearance.

How many myofibrils are in a muscle?

(a) Three-dimensional drawing of a portion of a muscle cell (myofiber) composed of six myofibrils. The transverse (T) tubules, which are invaginations of the plasma (more...)