Cell surface interaction during the early phase of nerve-muscle contact is of crucial importance to the development of the neuromuscular synapse. This research will center around the molecular mechanisms underlying two early events during the initial nerve-muscle contact, namely, the contact-dependent induction of acetylcholine release from the embryonic Xenopus spinal neuron and the development of nerve-muscle adhesion. It will be determined whether muscle surface acetylcholine receptors and other cell surface components are involved in these two events. It will also be determined whether there is specificity for nerve-muscle interaction among subpopulations of spinal neurons and myotomal muscle cells that depends upon the axial position or the lineage of the cells in the embryo. Finally, the study will focus on what effect the interfering of these two early events will have upon the structural and functional development of the synapse. Results from these studies will help us to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the development of specific neuronal connections.
