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Josh Sanes and Jeff Lichtman Research Images
This image shows a sternomastoid muscle from a two week old transgenic mouse that expressed YFP in the cytoplasm of all motor and sensory axons (line: YFP-16, Feng et al, 2000), viewed under a dissecting microscope equipped with fluorescence optics. The muscle was counter-stained with Alexa 594 Fluor-Btx (red) to label the acetylcholine receptors in the muscle fiber membrane. Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter that these axons use to electrically excite muscle fibers. The receptors are deployed directly under the synaptic terminals. Bundles of axons run through the muscle and branch in the intramuscular nerve, then leave the nerve to innervate individual muscle fibers. Sensory axons headed to a muscle spindle are visible in the upper left. This image shows the entire population of motor and sensory axons that send branches into this muscle. (from Bo Rum Ryu Ph.D. and Lichtman) |
