| First Author | Yumoto N | Year | 2005 |
| Journal | Biochem Biophys Res Commun | Volume | 331 |
| Issue | 4 | Pages | 1522-7 |
| PubMed ID | 15883046 | Mgi Jnum | J:98291 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3577805 | Doi | 10.1016/j.bbrc.2005.04.081 |
| Citation | Yumoto N, et al. (2005) The acetylcholine receptor gamma-to-epsilon switch occurs in individual endplates. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 331(4):1522-7 |
| abstractText | Maturation of the neuromuscular junction is accompanied by molecular switching of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) channels from embryonic types with gamma-subunits to adult ones with epsilon-subunits after birth. As a step toward understanding the molecular mechanisms of the gamma-to-epsilon switch, we addressed the question of whether embryonic- and adult-type AChRs constitute different endplates during the transitional period. From analyses with double- or triple-staining with anti-gamma- and/or anti-epsilon-antibodies together with alpha-bungarotoxin, which binds to alpha-subunits, we demonstrated that during neonatal stages in mice, adult-type AChRs are incorporated into individual endplates expressing embryonic-AChRs and replace these embryonic-AChRs gradually. The main period of AChR transition in the mouse diaphragm was between postnatal days 5 (P5) and P7, similar to the period described previously in which endplates shift from multi-axon to single-axon innervation. This finding will help our understanding of the mechanisms of the gamma-to-epsilon switch during establishment of the neuromuscular junction. |
