Formation of neuromuscular junctions in embryonic cultures.

Formation of neuromuscular junctions in embryonic cultures has been reviewed. Anatomical and electrophysiological evidence has been presented which demonstrates the formation de novo of synaptic contacts between nerve and muscle in culture; in (1) organ cultures of spinal cord explanted intact with attached myotomes, (2) organ cultures of in vitro coupled explants of spinal cord and skeletal muscle fragments, and (3) monolayer cultures of dissociated myoblasts confronted either with spinal cord fragments or cells. Innervation across species lines has also been demonstrated in explants of spinal cord and skeletal muscle from different species These cultures should provide a useful system for analysis of the mechanisms underlying the trophic and other interactions during neuromuscular development.