Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2022, Vol. 17 ›› Issue (6): 1273-1274.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.327334

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Progress in perisynaptic Schwann cell and neuromuscular junction research

Chandler L. Walker*   

  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Comprehensive Care, Indiana University School of Dentistry, Neuromusculoskeletal Research Group, Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN, USA 
  • Online:2022-06-15 Published:2021-12-17
  • Contact: Chandler L. Walker, PhD, chalwalk@iu.edu.
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, No. IK2RX002688, to CLW.

Abstract: The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is widely studied for its utility in investigating synaptic properties and processes and neuromuscular changes in response to injury, aging, and disease. The NMJ consists of three essential anatomic components, the pre-synaptic motor axon terminal, the post-synaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AchRs) on the muscle, and the perisynaptic Schwann cell (PSC), also known as the terminal Schwann cell, that caps the synapse (Figure 1A). In addition to this tri-partite construction, another cell called the kranocyte is known to be involved in the structural makeup of the NMJ though even less is known about this cell type. The PSC is a protective cellular covering for the NMJ and serves various dynamic functions under normal and pathological conditions. The NMJ is a complex multi-component site of communication between motor axons and target musculature. The PSC is a specialized non-myelinating Schwann cell that protects, nourishes, and regulates synaptic function at the NMJ (Alvarez-Suarez et al., 2020). A dynamic reciprocal communication network exists between the PSC and muscle to adapt to and help modulate alterations to NMJ activity in healthy adults. The PSC produces and secretes trophic factors that influence the axon’s health, post-synaptic muscle, and overall integrity of the NMJ. Likewise, muscle also secretes trophic factors and other chemical mediators that influence the PSC and associated localized structures at the NMJ.