Medical Physiology Commons^™

Muscle Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors May Mediate Trans-Synaptic Signaling At The Mouse Neuromuscular Junction, Xueyong Wang, J. Michael Mcintosh, Mark M. Rich

Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology Faculty Publications

Block of neurotransmitter receptors at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) has been shown to trigger upregulation of the number of synaptic vesicles released (quantal content, QC), a response termed homeostatic synaptic plasticity. The mechanism underlying this plasticity is not known. Here, we used selective toxins to demonstrate that block of α1-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) at the NMJ of male and female mice triggers the upregulation of QC. Reduction of current flow through nAChRs, induced by drugs with antagonist activity, demonstrated that reduction in synaptic current per se does not trigger upregulation of QC. These data led to the remarkable conclusion …