Title
A Defined Long-Term In Vitro Tissue Engineered Model Of Neuromuscular Junctions
Keywords
In vitro test; Muscle; Nerve tissue engineering; Neural cell; Self assembly; Surface modification
Abstract
Neuromuscular junction (NMJ) formation, occurring between motoneurons and skeletal muscle, is a complex multistep process involving a variety of signaling molecules and pathways. In vitro motoneuron-muscle co-cultures are powerful tools to study the role of different growth factors, hormones and cellular structures involved in NMJ formation. In this study, a serum-free culture system utilizing defined temporal growth factor application and a non-biological substrate resulted in the formation of robust NMJs. The system resulted in long-term survival of the co-culture and selective expression of neonatal myosin heavy chain, a marker of myotube maturation. NMJ formation was verified by colocalization of dense clusters of acetylcholine receptors visualized using alpha-bungarotoxin and synaptophysin containing vesicles present in motoneuron axonal terminals. This model will find applications in basic NMJ research and tissue engineering applications such as bio-hybrid device development for limb prosthesis and regenerative medicine as well as for high-throughput drug and toxin screening applications. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
Publication Date
6-1-2010
Publication Title
Biomaterials
Volume
31
Issue
18
Number of Pages
4880-4888
Document Type
Article
Personal Identifier
scopus
DOI Link
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2010.02.055
Copyright Status
Unknown
Socpus ID
77951978315 (Scopus)
Source API URL
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/77951978315
STARS Citation
Das, Mainak; Rumsey, John W.; Bhargava, Neelima; Stancescu, Maria; and Hickman, James J., "A Defined Long-Term In Vitro Tissue Engineered Model Of Neuromuscular Junctions" (2010). Scopus Export 2010-2014. 733.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/scopus2010/733