Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 12, 2026

Dissection, Culture, and Analysis of Xenopus laevis Embryonic Retinal Tissue
Published on: December 23, 2012
A neural influence on the appearance of sodium current in Xenopus embryonic myocytes
E Prabhakar1, T Barnes, A E Spruce
1Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK.
Abstract:
Regulation of early embryonic expression of sodium current in cultured Xenopus laevis myocytes was investigated. In myocytes isolated before innervation and cultured for about 1 day, only 51% expressed sodium current at a mean density of 74 +/- 20 pA/pF (mean +/- SEM; n = 26), inadequately reflecting the functional development of skeletal muscle in vivo at this time. This cell-autonomous expression pattern could be modulated. First, co-culture of myocytes and dissociated neural tissue induced additional sodium current expression (82%; 172 +/- 31 pA/pF, n = 14) and, secondly, removal of calcium from the culture medium reduced sodium current density (13 +/- 6 pA/pF; n = 5). The former results suggest that a diffusible factor released from differentiating neurons is able to initiate the expression of sodium channels in myocytes.
Related Concept Videos
Action Potentials
Action Potential
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential.
Generation of Action Potential in Skeletal Muscles
Like neurons, muscle cells are also regarded as excitable due to their capacity to change in response to stimuli, primarily due to voltage-gated ion channels embedded in their plasma membranes, which get activated by alterations in the cell's...
Electrochemical Gradient and Channel Proteins: An Overview
The electrical gradient: The electrical gradient across cell membranes refers to the difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a cell. This difference drives the movement of ions towards or away from the cells. For instance, if the inside of the cell is more negatively charged relative to the...
Action Potential
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...

