Science & Nature · 3
What is the name of the protein that makes muscles contract?
Answer
Myosin
Myosin is a motorprotein that interacts with actin filaments to produce muscle contraction through the sliding filament theory. Myosin's heads bind to actin, pulling the thin filaments toward the center of the sarcomere in a power stroke powered by ATP hydrolysis. This process repeats rapidly, causing the filaments to slide relative to each other and the entire muscle to shorten. Myosin and actin together comprise the contractile apparatus of muscle cells. Different myosin types exist in various muscle tissues and cellular processes.
💡 Did you know?
Myosin heads attach to actin and pull it along, powered by ATP; each muscle contraction involves billions of myosin-actin interactions.
Other options people guess
- Actin
- Collagen
- Elastin
Topics
- anatomy
- muscle-physiology
- biochemistry
Know your science & nature trivia?
Play a free Science & Nature quiz and see how many you get right — no signup needed to start.
More Science & Nature facts
Science & Nature
What is the name of the enzyme that breaks down lactose?
About 65% of humans lose the ability to produce lactase after childhood, causing lactose intolerance when consuming dairy.
Science & Nature
What is the name of the light-sensitive cells in the retina that are responsible for color vision?
Humans have three cone types sensitive to red, green, and blue; their combined signals create color vision across the entire visible spectrum.
Science & Nature
What is the name of the protein in muscles that contracts to produce movement?
The action of actin and myosin is so efficient that a single muscle cell can contract thousands of times per second.
Science & Nature
What is the name of the astronomical event where one celestial body passes in front of another?
A solar eclipse is a special case of occultation where the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun, blocking its light from Earth.
Science & Nature
What is the process by which DNA copies itself?
DNA replication is astonishingly accurate: only 1 error in 10 billion nucleotides, thanks to multiple proofreading mechanisms.
Science & Nature
What is the second most abundant element in the human body by mass?
Carbon forms the backbone of every protein, carbohydrate, lipid, and nucleotide—making it essential to all known life.