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Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the future prospects of cholinergic research on neuromuscular transmission. Isolation of the nicotinic cholinergic receptor, in combination with molecular biology and new electrophysiological techniques, such as the patch-clamp, provides a unique insight into the molecular structure and function of the receptor. Neuropeptides, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and other neuronal messengers that regulate synaptic formation and efficacy open new areas for research. Pre- and postsynaptic phosphorylation processes and the control of gene expressions in the muscle are areas for future research. The muscle secretes substances with the nerve growth promoting and modulating activities. The neuromuscular junction is a very specific synapse whose high speed of transmission can be understood in terms of the structure and location in the muscle cell membrane of a glycoprotein–ion channel neuroreceptor macromolecule. An increasing contribution from the molecular geneticist in explaining the basis of hereditary defects that affect the structure or function of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is anticipated. A better understanding of the molecular architecture and physiological properties of the voltage-sensitive calcium channel of the motor nerve terminal is presented in the chapter. |
