ATP - Muscle contractions

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Alice100

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Hello

Can anyone please kindly explain the role of ATP in muscle contractions?
Also what does ATP stand for?

Thanks so much in advance
 
geek here :D

ATP- adenosine triphosphate. basically its 'energy currency' in the body, formed by respiration.

muscles are made up of fibres, then the fibres contain actin and myosin (thick and thin) ATP is required for when the myosin heads bind to the actin fibres and pull it along (thus shortening the muscle= contraction) as it unbinds the head, then can attach again, repeating the pulling action.

not very detailed, but the basics, anything else :)

googling "sliding filament model" will get you loads of info on what you want aswell

ETA- basically, thats why you get stiff muscles when you get tetanus, and rigor mortis when your dead. no respiration, no ATP, the muscles stay contracted.
 
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im intrigued, why did you want to know?

thats just basic A2 level biology, i imagine theres loads more to it- was the best module of the course
 
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