Which of the following is a feature shared by cardiac muscle

Which of the following is a feature shared by cardiac muscle and skeletal muscle? A) Muscle fiber striations B) Dependence upon nervous stimulation C) Communication via electrical (gap) junctions D) Intercalated discs

Solution

The common feature between Cardiac muscles and skeletal muscle is A) Muscle fiber striations.

Both the muscles have striations, however cardiac muscles are branched but skeletal muscles are unbranched. Intercalated discs are only present in cardiac muscles. Skeletal muscles are dependent on nervous system for stimulation while cardiac muscles are self-excitatory. Autorhythmicity is a characteristic feature of cardiac muscles. Gap junctions are absent in skeletal muscles but present in cardiac muscles. Hence the feature shared by both cardiac and skeletal muscle is the presence of muscle fiber striations.