Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 9 November 1973:
Vol. 182. no. 4112, pp. 588 - 589
DOI: 10.1126/science.182.4112.588
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

Choline Acetyltransferase Activity Is Increased in Combined Cultures of Spinal Cord and Muscle Cells from Mice

Earl L. Giller Jr. 1, Bruce K. Schrier 1, Asher Shainberg 1, H. Ronald Fisk 1, and Phillip G. Nelson 1

1 Behavioral Biology Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland

The activity of choline acetyltransferase was more than tenfold greater in combined cultures of spinal cord and muscle cells than in cultures of spinal cord cells alone. This increase was associated with the formation of functional neuromuscular junctions in culture. Counts of silver-stained cells and determinations of other enzyme activities indicated that the increased choline acetyltransferase activity was not due to nonspecific neuronal survival but reflected greater activity in the surviving neurons. Hence, muscle had a marked, highly specific trophic effect on the cholinergic neurons that innervated it.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Extracts of skeletal muscle increase neurite outgrowth and cholinergic activity of fetal rat spinal motor neurons.
R. Smith and S. Appel (1983)
Science 219, 1079-1081
   Abstract »    PDF »
Cholinergic neuronotrophic factors: intraocular distribution of trophic activity for ciliary neurons.
R Adler, K. Landa, M Manthorpe, and S Varon (1979)
Science 204, 1434-1436
   Abstract »    PDF »
Synapse formation between two clonal cell lines.
C. Christian, P. Nelson, J Peacock, and M Nirenberg (1977)
Science 196, 995-998
   Abstract »    PDF »
Central Nervous System Synapses in Cell Culture.
P. G. Nelson (1976)
Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 40, 359-371
   Abstract »    PDF »
Biochemical Studies on the Development of Primary Sympathetic Neurons in Cell Culture.
P. H. Patterson, L. F. Reichardt, and L. L. Y. Chun (1976)
Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 40, 389-397
   Abstract »    PDF »
Variation of P-Wave Velocity before the Bear Valley, California, Earthquake of 24 February 1972.
R. Robinson, R. Robinson, R. L. Wesson, and W. L. Ellsworth (1974)
Science 184, 1281-1283
   Abstract »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)