A sarcomere (Greek sarx "flesh", meros "part") is the basic unit of striated muscle tissue. Skeletal muscles are composed of tubular muscle cells (myocytes called muscle fibers) which are formed in a process known as myogenesis. Muscle fibers are composed of tubular myofibrils. Myofibrils are composed of repeating sections of sarcomeres, which appear under the microscope as dark and light bands. Sarcomeres are composed of long, fibrous proteins as filaments that slide past each other when a muscle contracts or relaxes.