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Updated: Jan 25, 2026

Precision Measurements and Parametric Models of Vertebral Endplates
Published on: September 17, 2019
Motor Endplate-Anatomical, Functional, and Molecular Concepts in the Historical Perspective
Rüdiger Rudolf1,2,3, Muzamil Majid Khan4, Veit Witzemann5
1Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, 68163 Mannheim, Germany. r.rudolf@hs-mannheim.de.
Abstract:
By mediating voluntary muscle movement, vertebrate neuromuscular junctions (NMJ) play an extraordinarily important role in physiology. While the significance of the nerve-muscle connectivity was already conceived almost 2000 years back, the precise cell and molecular biology of the NMJ have been revealed in a series of fascinating research activities that started around 180 years ago and that continues. In all this time, NMJ research has led to fundamentally new concepts of cell biology, and has triggered groundbreaking advancements in technologies. This review tries to sketch major lines of thought and concepts on NMJ in their historical perspective, in particular with respect to anatomy, function, and molecular components. Furthermore, along these lines, it emphasizes the mutual benefit between science and technology, where one drives the other. Finally, we speculate on potential major future directions for studies on NMJ in these fields.
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