In vitro innervation as an experimental model to study the expression and functions of acetylcholinesterase and agrin in human skeletal muscle

Miš, Katarina (author), Grubič, Zoran (author), Lorenzon, Paola (author), Sciancalepore, Marina (author), Marš, Tomaž (author), Pirkmajer, Sergej (author)

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and agrin, a heparan-sulfate proteoglycan, reside in the basal lamina of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) and play key roles in cholinergic transmission and synaptogenesis. Unlike most NMJ components, AChE and agrin are expressed in skeletal muscle and α-motor neurons. AChE and agrin are also expressed in various other types of cells, where they have important alternative functions that are not related to their classical roles in NMJ. In this review, we first focus on co-cultures of embryonic rat spinal cord explants with human skeletal muscle cells as an experimental model to study functional innervation in vitro. We describe how this heterologous rat-human model, which enables experimentation on highly developed contracting human myotubes, offers unique opportunities for AChE and agrin research. We then highlight innovative approaches that were used to address salient questions regarding expression and alternative functions of AChE and agrin in developing human skeletal muscle. Results obtained in co-cultures are compared with those obtained in other models in the context of general advances in the field of AChE and agrin neurobiology.

• Language: English
• Keywords: acetylcholinesterase, human muscle, apoptosis, in vitro innervation, neuromuscular junction, co-cultures, agrin
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2017
• Number of pages: 30 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 22, iss. 9, art. 1418
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-131011
• UDC: 616-092
• ISSN on article: 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules22091418
• COBISS.SI-ID: 33379545
• Publication date in RUL: 21.09.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Molecules
• Shortened title: Molecules
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1420-3049
• COBISS.SI-ID: 18462981

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 01.09.2017

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: acetilholinesteraza, človeška mišica, apoptoza