sarcomere

[ sahr-kuh-meer ]

noun

, Biology.

1. any of the segments of myofibril in striated muscle fibers.

sarcomere

/ ˈsɑːkəʊˌmɪə /

noun

1. any of the units that together comprise skeletal muscle

sarcomere

/ sär′kə-mîr′ /

1. The contractile unit of a skeletal muscle fiber. Sarcomeres are divided into bands of filaments made of actin or myosin. During muscle contraction, the filaments slide over each other to cause shortening of the sarcomere.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sarcomere¹

First recorded in 1890–95; sarco- + -mere

Example Sentences

This suggests that these genetic variants may impact the sarcomere, the basic unit of heart muscle, influencing its structure and function.

From Science Daily

By expressing RBFox1 in immature human stem cell-derived heart cells, the researchers saw enhancements in key indicators of maturation, including cell size, sarcomere structure, contraction, calcium handling and oxygen usage.

From Science Daily

Skeletal and heart muscles contract upon the interaction of two types of parallel protein filaments in the sarcomere: thin and thick.

From Science Daily

Further analyses showed RBFox1 regulated splicing of RNA transcripts linked to heart cell contraction and sarcomere components.

From Science Daily

The sarcomere is subdivided in several regions, called zones and bands, in which these filaments are arranged in different ways.

From Science Daily