Myocytes    [Back]

Skeletal muscle cells are long, spindle-shaped cells with multiple nuclei. How might multinucleation occur in a cell? Multinucleaton in hepatocytes (Slide 15) and cardiac muscle occurs by replication of the genetic material without the cell undergoing cytokinesis (the cytoplasmic changes we see during mitosis). In skeletal muscle, multinucleation is the result of embryonic myoblast cell fusion. Note the transverse striations. What organelle is responsible for the striations and contractile property of this muscle? Actin, a contractile protein found in all cells, and it is a microfilament. (See Unit 1)