9309510 Luther Nerve cells communicate with muscle cells at a special site called the neuromuscular junction. Nerve cells release a chemical, acetylcholine, at neuromuscular junctions, and this substance causes the muscle cells to contract by activating receptor proteins on the muscle cell-surface. During development, the muscle cell surface undergoes a dramatic transformation where it comes in contact with a growing nerve ending. It changes from a relatively simple, unspecialized area into an elaborate 'postsynaptic complex'. The postsynaptic complex contains many distinctive kinds of proteins, the most important of which are the acetylcholine receptors. When a nerve cell contacts the muscle cell surface during development, receptors are reorganized from a diffuse population of single receptors into high-density clusters located exactly opposite the nerve cell. This project will seek to learn what anchors the acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction during this process. Specific proteins will be identified in junctions by high resolution electron microscopy relative to the distribution of the receptors. A super computer will be used to construct three-dimensional images of these junctions. Together, this information will help show how interactions between nerve and muscle cells cause them to become specialized for their specific functions. *** l sw A wwwwwww KÕ Y 9309510 Luther Nerve cells communicate with muscle cells at a special site called the neuromuscular juncti on. Nerve cells r ! ! ! F t t ( Times New Roman Symbol & Arial r r r " h E 3C z E 4 b A luther William Proctor, IBN William Proctor, IBN
