What is atrial depolarization?

Answer 1

Atrial depolarization is the first part of the cardiac cycle.
Cardiac (and skeletal) muscle is made up of bundled stands of functional units called sarcomeres. Each sarcomere consists of two Z-disks, which mark the ends of each sarcomere, and alternating dark and light bands called A-bands and I-bands respectively. The I-band contains only actin (the main cytoskeletal protein in most cells) filaments whereas the A-band contains overlapping myosin (a "molecular motor" protein) and actin filaments in its periphery and only myosin filaments in the central region called the H-zone. The center of the H-zone is marked by an imaginary line (called the M-line) in which myosin extends in both directions. The sarcomere contracts inward toward the M-line. "Depolarization" occurs when an electrochemical event causes calcium cations to be released from a membranous network (similar to the the endoplasmic reticulum) called the sarcoplasmic reticulum and creates an action potential. The free Ca2+ binds to a specific troponin protein shifting a troponin/tropomyosin protein complex allowing the myosin head groups to bind to the actin filament. ATP hydrolysis causes conformational changes of the myosin filament which in effect "pulls" the actin filament toward the M-line of the sarcomere. The sarcomere can return to its resting potential by allowing potassium (K+) ions to flow out.