SAME-NeuroID Retreat 2024 Meet-Up

Neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) are specialized synapses in the peripheral nervous system, formed by motor neuron axons, skeletal muscle fibers, and Schwann cells. These junctions are responsible for transmitting signals from neurons to muscles, which initiates muscle contraction. Muscle excitation occurs when a neuron releases a neurotransmitter (acetylcholine) into the synaptic cleft between the nerve terminal and the muscle fiber. This neurotransmitter is then captured by acetylcholine receptors (AChR) on the postsynaptic machinery, causing ion channels to open and membrane depolarization to occur. For proper synapse function, AChR receptors must be densely clustered on the muscle fiber surface and precisely positioned under neuronal terminals and at neurotransmitter release sites. This is made possible by the coordinated action of hundreds of proteins that form the postsynaptic machinery. Many of these proteins are still unknown, and for some of the discovered ones, their functions remain poorly understood. Improper NMJ organization is associated with numerous severe neuromuscular disorders. Despite many years of research dedicated to these specialized junctions and the acetylcholine receptor itself, little is still known about the mechanisms regulating synapse organization, remodeling, dynamics, intracellular receptor transport, or internalization mechanisms. The latest, yet unpublished, findings from Dr. Tomasz Prószyński's team suggest the existence of new, unstudied proteins that directly bind to the cytoplasmic domain of AChR and may play an important role in regulating receptors at neuromuscular junctions.

Our aim is to study novel AChR regulators, as well as the impact of post-translational modifications on receptor-related signalling pathways.