Abstract
The commands that control animal movement are transmitted from motor neurons to their target muscle cells at the neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). The NMJs contain many protein species whose role in transmission depends not only on their inherent properties, but also on how they are distributed within the complex structure of the motor nerve terminal and the postsynaptic muscle membrane. These molecules mediate evoked chemical transmitter release from the nerve and the action of that transmitter on the muscle. Human NMJs are among the smallest known and release the smallest number of transmitter “quanta”. By contrast, they have the most deeply infolded postsynaptic membranes, which help to amplify transmitter action. The same structural features that distinguish human NMJs make them particularly susceptible to pathological processes. While much has been learned about the molecules which mediate transmitter release and action, little is known about the molecular processes that control the growth of the cellular and subcellular components of the NMJ so as to give rise to its mature form. A major challenge for molecular biologists is to understand the molecular basis for the development and maintenance of functionally important aspects of NMJ structure, and thereby to point to new directions for treatment of diseases in which neuromuscular transmission is impaired.
Highlights
The commands that control animal movement are transmitted from motor neurons to their target muscle cells at the neuromuscular junctions (NMJs)
While much has been learned in recent years about the molecular basis of transmitter release and action, we still remain largely ignorant of how the structural features of the NMJ are determined
Numerous studies have been made of the changes in NMJ size and shape which occur in response to experimental treatments which resemble some disease states
Summary
The axons that control skeletal muscle cells arise from the centrally located cell bodies of the axonsand thattravel, control skeletal unbranched, muscle cells arise themuscles. The fine (0.1 μm) motor nerve terminal forms numerous varicosities (“boutons”), usually (Figure 1). As revealed by electron microscopy, 1–5 μm across, from which transmitter is released (Figure 1B). The boutons membrane, the “active zones”, which the sites of evoke transmitter release adhere to the muscle cellthe surface, a gapleaving of about. 20 μm; (C) Electron micrograph of a section transmitter is released. The postsynaptic membrane is folded, with the folds extending up to 1 μm or so into the cytoplasm These folds increase the area of postsynaptic membrane by a factor of 2–8, depending on the species (Figure 1C). Extending up to 1 μm or so into the cytoplasm
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