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Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Using Drosophila Larval Neuromuscular Junction and Muscle Cells to Visualize Microtubule Network
Published on: October 20, 2023
The role of the cytoskeleton in neuromuscular junction formation
G Clement Dobbins1, Bin Zhang, Wen C Xiong
1Program of Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912, USA.
Abstract:
The cytoskeleton plays a vital role in neuromuscular junction (NMJ) formation. It is responsible for shaping synaptic membrane into folds opposed to presynaptic active zones and anchoring acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) to the crest of the junctional folds. Acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) associate with the actin cytoskeleton, the disruption of which affects spontaneous and agrin-induced AChR clusters (Prives et al., 1982; Connolly, 1984; Peng and Phelan, 1984; Bloch, 1986; Dai et al., 2000). How AChRs are tethered to the actin cytoskeleton remains unclear.
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