A process in which force is generated within muscle tissue, resulting in a change in muscle geometry. Force generation involves a chemo-mechanical energy conversion step that is carried out by the actin/myosin complex activity, which generates force through ATP hydrolysis.

The process whose specific outcome is the progression of the muscle over time, from its formation to the mature structure. The muscle is an organ consisting of a tissue made up of various elongated cells that are specialized to contract and thus to produce movement and mechanical work.

The developmental sequence of events leading to the formation of adult skeletal muscle tissue. The main events are: the fusion of myoblasts to form myotubes that increase in size by further fusion to them of myoblasts, the formation of myofibrils within their cytoplasm and the establishment of functional neuromuscular junctions with motor neurons. At this stage they can be regarded as mature muscle fibers.

The process whose specific outcome is the progression of the somatic muscle over time, from its formation to the mature structure. Somatic muscles are striated muscle structures that connect to the exoskeleton or cuticle.

The developmental process in which a skeletal muscle attaches to its target (such as bone or body wall).

The developmental process in which a skeletal muscle attaches to its target (such as bone or body wall).

The myofibril assembly process that results in the organization of muscle actomyosin into sarcomeres. The sarcomere is the repeating unit of a myofibril in a muscle cell, composed of an array of overlapping thick and thin filaments between two adjacent Z discs.

The process whose specific outcome is the progression of the skeletal muscle fiber over time, from its formation to the mature structure. Muscle fibers are formed by the maturation of myotubes. They can be classed as slow, intermediate/fast or fast.

The process whose specific outcome is the progression of a striated muscle cell over time, from its formation to the mature structure. Striated muscle cells contain fibers that are divided by transverse bands into striations, and cardiac and skeletal muscle are types of striated muscle.

The progression of a somite from its initial formation to the mature structure. Somites are mesodermal clusters that are arranged segmentally along the anterior posterior axis of an embryo.

A multiprotein complex that forms a strong mechanical link between the cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix; typical of, but not confined to, muscle cells. The complex is composed of transmembrane, cytoplasmic, and extracellular proteins, including dystrophin, sarcoglycans, dystroglycan, dystrobrevins, syntrophins, sarcospan, caveolin-3, and NO synthase.

The outer membrane of a muscle cell, consisting of the plasma membrane, a covering basement membrane (about 100 nm thick and sometimes common to more than one fiber), and the associated loose network of collagen fibers.