Myofilament

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This type of tissue is found in skeletal muscles and is responsible for the voluntary movements of bones.

Myofilaments are the protein filaments which make up myofibrils. They are arranged into repeating contractile units called sarcomeres, which are connected in-series along the length of a myofibril. There are three main types of myofilaments; thick, thin and elastic. Thick myofilaments consist primarily of the protein myosin, thin myofilaments consist primarily of the protein actin, whilst elastic myofilaments are composed of a springy protein called titin.

These myofilaments work together to produce muscle contractions, in which the actin filaments slide along the myosin filaments to shorten the sarcomeres. The repeating regular arrangement of actin and myosin within sarcomeres gives them a distinct striated appearance with light I bands and dark A bands when viewed under a light microscope.