Edit page | Page history | Printable version

striated muscle

noun

a muscle that is made up of long fibers characterized by transverse or oblique striations, or alternating light and dark bands under the microscope. This is due to a number of sarcomeres or an array of overlapping thick (myosin) and thin (actin) filaments within each muscle cell. Its function is concerned with the movement of skeletal structures. This kind of muscle is exemplified by the voluntary (skeletal) muscles of vertebrates.