Skeletal Muscle Cells (SkMC)

Skeletal muscle is one of three major muscle types, the others being cardiac muscle and smooth muscle. It is a form of striated muscle tissue which is under the voluntary control of the somatic nervous system.Most skeletal muscles are attached to bones by bundles of collagen fibers known as tendons. A skeletal muscle refers to multiple bundles of cells called muscle fibers. The fibres and muscles are surrounded by connective tissue layers called fasciae. Muscle fibres, or muscle cells, are formed from the fusion of developmental myoblasts in a process known as myogenesis. 

Skeletal muscle cells (SkMC) are excitable and are subject to depolarization by the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, released at the neuromuscular junction by motor neurons. Some results also suggest that adiponectin stimulates fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle cells by the sequential activation of AMPK, p38 MAPK, and PPARalpha. Skeletal muscle cell culture is a useful model for studying the process of cell differentiation.