The basic structure of the sarcomere

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This animation takes you through the very basics of muscle contraction, showing how muscle consists of bundles of fibrous cells called myofibrils. These multi-nucleated cells have a striated pattern which is caused by repeats of what is known as the contractile unit or sarcomere. The striped pattern of the sarcomere is brought about by the two sets of fibers which go to make up its structure. It was proposed as early as 1957 that muscle contracts by these two sets of fibers sliding past each other causing the overall length of the sarcomere to shorten.

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	Structure of skeletal muscle
	Historical background of muscle contraction
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