Structural switch in acetylcholine receptors in developing muscle.

ABSTRACT: During development, motor neurons originating in the brainstem and spinal cord form elaborate synapses with skeletal muscle fibres¹. These neurons release acetylcholine (ACh), which binds to nicotinic ACh receptors (AChRs) on the muscle, initiating contraction. Two types of AChR are present in developing muscle cells, and their differential expression serves as a hallmark of neuromuscular synapse maturation^2-4. The structural principles underlying the switch from fetal to adult muscle receptors are unknown. Here, we present high-resolution structures of both fetal and adult muscle nicotinic AChRs, isolated from bovine skeletal muscle in developmental transition. These structures, obtained in the absence and presence of ACh, provide a structural context for understandi

SUBMITTER: Li H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12080231 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature