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myofibril

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my⋅o⋅fi⋅bril

  [mahy-uh-fahy-bruhl, -fib-ruhl]
Use myofibril in a Sentence
–noun Cell Biology.
a contractile fibril of skeletal muscle, composed mainly of actin and myosin.
Origin:
1895–1900; myo- + fibril
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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my·o·fi·bril   (mī'ə-fī'brəl, -fĭb'rəl)   
n.  Any of the threadlike fibrils that make up the contractile part of a striated muscle fiber. Also called sarcostyle.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: myo·fi·bril
Pronunciation: "mI-O-'fIb-r&l, -'fib-
Function: noun
: one of the longitudinal parallel contractile elements of amuscle cell that are composed of myosin and actin —myo·fi·bril·lar /-r&-l&r/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

myofibril my·o·fi·bril (mī'ə-fī'brəl, -fĭb'rəl)
n.
One of the threadlike longitudinal fibrils occurring in a skeletal or cardiac muscle fiber. Also called sarcostyle.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

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. The thick filaments are composed of myosin, and the thin filaments are predominantly actin, along with two other muscle proteins, tropomyosin and troponin. Muscular contraction is caused by the interaction between actin and myosin as they temporarily bind to each other and are released.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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