alleryStart learning →What is the plasma membrane of a skeletal muscle fiber specifically called?
ASarcomere
BSarcoplasmic reticulum
CSarcoplasm
DSarcolemma
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Sarcolemma
1. Muscle fiber terminology is rooted in the Greek word sarco, meaning "flesh."
2. The plasma membrane of a muscle fiber is named using this root as the sarcolemma.
3. The cytoplasm is called sarcoplasm, and the calcium-storing smooth ER is the sarcoplasmic reticulum, which are different structures.
4. The sarcomere is the contractile unit inside the fiber, not the surrounding membrane.
_Source: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology (CC BY 4.0), Ch 10 "Muscle Tissue", section 10.2, p. 409_
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