Medical Dictionary
Main Entry:
slid·ing filament hypothesis Pronunciation:
'slId-i[ng]- Function:
noun : a theory in physiology holding that muscle contraction occurswhen the actin filaments next to the Z line at each end of a sarcomere are drawn toward each other between the thicker myosin filaments more centrally located in the sarcomere by the projectingglobular heads of myosin molecules that form temporary attachments to the actin filaments and become detached when the actin filaments move in the opposite directions toward the ends of the sarcomerecalled also
sliding filament theory; —see
CROSSBRIDGE
