PMID- 15034255
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20040702
LR  - 20131121
IS  - 0300-4864 (Print)
IS  - 0300-4864 (Linking)
VI  - 32
IP  - 5-8
DP  - 2003 Jun-Sep
TI  - The role of nitric oxide signaling in the formation of the neuromuscular 
      junction.
PG  - 591-602
AB  - The formation of the vertebrate neuromuscular junction (NMJ) depends on the 
      action of neural agrin on the muscle cell. The requirement for agrin and its 
      receptor, muscle-specific kinase (MuSK), has been well established over the past 
      20 years. However, the signaling mechanisms through which agrin and MuSK cause 
      synaptic differentiation are not well understood. New evidence from studies of 
      muscle cells in culture and in embryos indicates that nitric oxide (NO) is an 
      effector of agrin-induced postsynaptic differentiation at the NMJ. Cyclic GMP 
      (cGMP) production by guanylate cyclase appears to be an important downstream step 
      in this pathway. Nitric oxide and cGMP regulate the activity of several kinases, 
      some of which may influence interaction of dystrophin and utrophin with the actin 
      cytoskeleton to mediate or modulate postsynaptic differentiation in muscle cells. 
      These signaling molecules could also play a role in retrograde signaling to 
      influence differentiation of presynaptic nerve terminals.
FAU - Godfrey, Earl W
AU  - Godfrey EW
AD  - Department of Pathology and Anatomy, Eastern Virginia Medical School, P.O. Box 
      1980, Norfolk, VA 23501, USA. godfreew@evms.edu
FAU - Schwarte, Russell C
AU  - Schwarte RC
LA  - eng
GR  - MH 57545/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PT  - Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
PT  - Review
PL  - United States
TA  - J Neurocytol
JT  - Journal of neurocytology
JID - 0364620
RN  - 31C4KY9ESH (Nitric Oxide)
SB  - IM
MH  - Animals
MH  - Humans
MH  - Neuromuscular Junction/growth & development/*physiology
MH  - Nitric Oxide/*physiology
MH  - Signal Transduction/*physiology
MH  - Synapses/physiology
RF  - 110
EDAT- 2004/03/23 05:00
MHDA- 2004/07/03 05:00
CRDT- 2004/03/23 05:00
PHST- 2004/03/23 05:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2004/07/03 05:00 [medline]
PHST- 2004/03/23 05:00 [entrez]
AID - 5256368 [pii]
AID - 10.1023/B:NEUR.0000020612.87729.98 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Neurocytol. 2003 Jun-Sep;32(5-8):591-602. doi: 
      10.1023/B:NEUR.0000020612.87729.98.