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Synapse formation between clonal muscle cells and rat spinal cord explants

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Abstract

ALTHOUGH functional neuromuscular junctions have been reported between cultured muscle and spinal cord explants1–3 or dissociated spinal cord cells4, further studies have been hampered because primary cultures represent a mixture of cell types of unknown function. Harris et al.5 tackled this problem by coculturing a neuronal cell line (C1300) from a mouse sympathetic ganglion cell6,7 with a rat skeletal muscle cell line (L6)8. They found regions of high acetylcholine(ACh) sensitivity at points of contact between nerve and muscle, indicating interaction between nerve and muscle5,9. So far no functional synapses have been observed in this system. We now report that the L6 muscle cell line can form functional synapses with a competent nerve.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurobiology, The Salk Institute, PO Box 1809, San Diego, California, 92112

    Y. KIDOKORO & S. HEINEMANN

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  1. Y. KIDOKORO
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  2. S. HEINEMANN
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KIDOKORO, Y., HEINEMANN, S. Synapse formation between clonal muscle cells and rat spinal cord explants. Nature 252, 593–594 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/252593a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/252593a0

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