An agonist antibody to MuSK, delivered after disease onset, decreases the loss of neuromuscular synapses, improves motor function and extends the lifespan of ALS mice.
Proteins implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, including amyloid precursor protein and ApoE receptors, interact with each other and with a signalling molecule called agrin to influence the development of the neuromuscular junction.
Éric Martineau, Adriana Di Polo ... Richard Robitaille
Motor axons undergo dynamic branch-specific changes for weeks before complete neuronal degeneration in a model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, highlighting the importance of peripheral factors, intrinsic and extrinsic to motoneurons.
Genetic and electrophysiological analyses reveal that the mechanisms orchestrating the induction and expression of homeostatic plasticity are compartmentalized and operate with exquisite specificity on both sides of the synapse.
Francois M Lambert, Laura Cardoit ... Didier Le Ray
Molecular labeling, electrophysiology and calcium imaging have revealed a novel switching of neurotransmitter at the frog neuromuscular junction where motoneurons transiently release glutamate before acetylcholine at synapses on developing hindlimb muscles at the onset of metamorphosis.
Skeletal muscle cells constantly monitor their own activity and that of their partner neuron at synapses, enabling them to provide the neuron with feedback regarding neurotransmitter release.
Characterization of Tnc as a selective integrin ligand at the Drosophila NMJ allows for unprecedented insights into our understanding of extracellular matrix/integrin interactions at synaptic locations and reveals novel, distinct presynaptic and postsynaptic integrin functions.