The F-Actin Cytoskeleton of the Frog Motor Nerve Terminal

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For proper functioning of the nervous system, each nerve cell must assemble the molecular machinery required for the release of its signal, the neurotransmitter, at the precise location on its target cell where the signal can be received and a response produced. This precise alignment between the release machinery of nerve terminals and the reception molecules of their targets presents a challenge not only for its construction and growth but also for its maintenance. The precision of this organization between nerve cells and targets is beautifully illustrated at the frog neuromuscular junction where a linear array of release sites in nerve terminals is separated by distinct nonrelease domains. Using the frog motor nerve terminal, Dr. Connor's laboratory discovered that cytoskeletal molecules including F-actin, a molecule involved in the structural support and movement of cells and organelles, is concentrated in nonrelease domains. The long range goal of Dr. Connor's project is to determine the role of the cytoskeleton and F-actin in fundamental processes of nerve terminals that may occur in nonrelease domains: the recycling of the neurotransmitter release machinery and the stabilization of nerve terminals at their targets. Partial funding is provided to Dr. Connor's laboratory to launch initial experiments using state-of-the-art, electron microscope tomography to construct a high resolution, three-dimension map of the cytoskeleton in nonrelease domains of nerve terminals. Further, this will provide training opportunities for graduate students in the current techniques.