Myofibrils (obsolete term: sarcostyles) are cylindrical organelles. They are found within muscle cells. They are bundles of actomyosin filaments that run from one end of the cell to the other and are attached to the cell surface membrane at each end.
Actomyosin motors are important in muscle contraction (relying in this case on "classical myosins") as well as other processes like retraction of membrane blebs, filiopod retraction, and uropodium advancement (relying in this case on "nonclassical myosins").
Structure
The filaments of myofibrils, myofilaments, consist of two types, thick and thin.
* Thin filaments consist primarily of the protein actin, coiled with nebulin filaments.
* Thick filaments consist primarily of the protein myosin, held in place by titin filaments.
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. The muscle cell is nearly filled with myofibrils running parallel to each other on the long axis of the cell. The sarcomeric subunits of one myofibril are in nearly perfect alignment with those of the myofibrils next to it. This alignment gives rise to certain optical properties which cause the cell to appear striped or striated. In smooth muscle cells, this alignment is absent, hence there are no apparent striations and the cells are called smooth.
Myofibril. (2009, June 13). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:09, June 13, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Myofibril&oldid=296076817
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