MEDICAL PHYSIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -H-band is the zone of the thick filaments that has no actin. Within the H-zone is a thin M-line (from the German “mittel” meaning middle), appears in the middle of the sarcomere formed of cross-connecting elements of the cytoskeleton.

Detailed explanation-2: -Each sarcomere consists of a central A-band (thick filaments) and two halves of the I-band (thin filaments). The I-band from two adjacent sarcomeres meets at the Z-line. The central portion of the A-band is the M-line, which does not contain actin.

Detailed explanation-3: -The I bands contain only thin (actin) filaments, whereas the A bands contain thick (myosin) filaments. The myosin and actin filaments overlap in peripheral regions of the A band, whereas a middle region (called the H zone) contains only myosin.

Detailed explanation-4: -The H-zone contains only thick filaments. The A-band contains both thick and thin filaments and is the center of the sarcomere that spans the H zone. When the muscle contracts, the H-zone, I-band, the distance between Z-lines all become smaller, whereas the A band remains the same.

Detailed explanation-5: -Each sarcomere has a central A band made of thick myosin filaments and two half I bands made of thin actin filaments on either side of the thick filaments leaving the central part of the thick filaments. This central part of thick filament, not overlapped by thin filament is called H zone.