Muscle contraction begins when a motor neuron sends an action potential to the neuromuscular junction, which is the site of communication between a motor neuron and a muscle fiber.
Upon the arrival of the action potential at the axon terminal, synaptic vesicles fuse with the plasma membrane and release a neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft. In the case of skeletal muscle contraction, this specific neurotransmitter is acetylcholine.
The released acetylcholine binds to receptors on the sarcolemma, generating an action potential in the muscle fiber, which eventually leads to the release of calcium ions from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Other options like cyclic AMP or cyclic GMP are secondary messengers in different signaling pathways, and acetyl coenzyme A is involved in cellular respiration.
Final Answer: acetyl choline
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