Definition
noun, plural: Z discs
The region or line formed in the sarcomere into which the thin filaments are inserted
Supplement
The sarcomere, the contractile unit of a myofibril, consists of a highly organized assembly of filaments. It is the smallest functional structures and molecules essential for muscle contraction. The two main proteins in a sarcomere are actin and myosin. The actin forms the thin filament whereas the myosin forms the thick filament. The thin and the thick filaments are arranged in a way that they overlap partially enabling them to slide past each other during contraction. The sarcomere is delimited by two Z discs (also called Z lines, Z bands, or intermediate discs). The Z in Z disc stands for the German Zwischenscheibe.
When viewed under the microscope, the Z disc appears as the darkly staining band that bisects the I (isotropic) band of a striated muscle (i.e. the region surrounding the Z disc and the zone of actin filaments not superimposed by myosin filaments). The Z disc is where the actin filaments attach to and thereby serves as the anchoring point of actin filaments in a sarcomere.
Synonym(s):
- intermediate disk (disc)
- Z line
- Z band
See also:
