What are the three main types of muscle tissue?

Muscle tissue is classified into three types: skeletal muscle (striated, voluntary, for body movement), cardiac muscle (striated, involuntary, in the heart), and smooth muscle (non-striated, involuntary, in hollow organs).

What are the basic properties shared by all muscle types?

All muscle types share irritability (respond to stimuli), contractility (shorten to generate movement), extensibility (return to resting length), and elasticity (regain shape after deformation).

What are myoepithelial cells and what do they do?

Myoepithelial cells are contractile cells located in glands such as salivary and sweat glands. They help expel secretions by contracting.

What is the role of myofibroblasts in the body?

Myofibroblasts are specialized fibroblasts with contractile filaments that help in wound healing by contracting to close tissue defects.

Do all muscles develop from the same embryonic layer?

Most muscles develop from mesoderm, but some like arrector pili muscles, iris muscles, and myoepithelial cells develop from ectoderm.

What percentage of body weight is made up of muscle?

Muscle tissue makes up about 40% of total body weight, forming the red flesh and acting as the main contractile tissue.

Muscle Anatomy – Types, Structure & Contraction Basics