Publication Date:
2005-06-25
Description:
The formation of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is directed by reciprocal interactions between motor neurons and muscle fibers. Neuregulin (NRG) and Agrin from motor nerve terminals are both implicated. Here, we demonstrate that NMJs can form in the absence of the NRG receptors ErbB2 and ErbB4 in mouse muscle. Postsynaptic differentiation is, however, induced by Agrin. We therefore conclude that NRG signaling to muscle is not required for NMJ formation. The effects of NRG signaling to muscle may be mediated indirectly through Schwann cells.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Escher, P -- Lacazette, E -- Courtet, M -- Blindenbacher, A -- Landmann, L -- Bezakova, G -- Lloyd, K C -- Mueller, U -- Brenner, H R -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 2005 Jun 24;308(5730):1920-3.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Institute of Physiology, Biozentrum, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15976301" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉
Keywords:
Agrin/physiology
;
Animals
;
Animals, Newborn
;
Cells, Cultured
;
Genes, erbB
;
Genes, erbB-2
;
Membrane Potentials
;
Mice
;
Motor Endplate/metabolism/physiology/ultrastructure
;
Muscle, Skeletal/*innervation/ultrastructure
;
Mutation
;
Neuregulins/*metabolism
;
Neuromuscular Junction/embryology/metabolism/*physiology/ultrastructure
;
Presynaptic Terminals/physiology
;
RNA, Messenger/genetics/metabolism
;
Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor/genetics/*physiology
;
Receptor, ErbB-2/genetics/*physiology
;
Receptor, ErbB-4
;
Receptors, Cholinergic/chemistry/genetics/metabolism
;
Recombination, Genetic
;
Schwann Cells/physiology
;
*Signal Transduction
;
Synaptic Transmission
Print ISSN:
0036-8075
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9203
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Computer Science
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
Permalink