title: Gap junctions form in culture between chick embryo neurons and skeletal muscle myoblasts.
abstract: Possible mechanisms by which neurons can affect the differentiated states of mononucleated cells in the early chick embryo leg skeletal myogenic lineage are being investigated. Under conditions of co-culture known to promote inductive interactions between embryonic neurons and leg cells, spinal cord neurons and mononucleated leg cells are coupled by gap junctions as shown by cell-to-cell passage of Lucifer yellow and hyperpolarizing or depolarizing currents. Co-cultures composed of ciliary ganglion neurons and clones of leg cells showed that the ability to form gap junctions with neurons is a differentiated function of myoblasts. Dye-coupling with neurons was found at high frequency only when the partner cell was a myoblast of a differentiating muscle clone. Myoblasts in undifferentiated clones formed gap junctions with each other but not with neurons. The nature of the junction-forming neuron is not restricted since neurons from spinal cord, ciliary ganglion and dorsal root ganglion all readily form junctions with myoblasts.
authors: Thomas Hunt Morgan School of Biological Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40506.
authors: P H
authors: PH
authors: Bonner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000502:physiology*; D007546:Isoquinolines; D009132:Muscles / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007546:Isoquinolines; C017475:lucifer yellow