Certain Glial Cells Appear to Help Prevent Muscle Fatigue

The flow of calcium and potassium ions keeps muscles contracting in the diaphragms of neonatal mice, but if a key protein receptor is missing, fatigue sets in more quickly.

| 3 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
3:00
Share

MUSCLE HUSTLE: After stimulation with an action potential (1), the synaptic terminal of a motor neuron releases acetylcholine and ATP. (2) Acetylcholine activates receptors in the muscle, which spurs voltage-gated sodium channels to open, triggering an action potential in the muscle, which contracts. At the same time, ATP or ADP stimulates P2Y1 receptors (3), which causes calcium ions to be released from the endoplasmic reticulum of the terminal/perisynaptic Schwann cell (TPSC) (4). In response, perisynaptic potassium ions (K+) produced by the muscle and neuronal cells move into the TPSC (5). Regulation of perisynaptic potassium ions by TPSCs is thought to reduce the ions’ ability to inactivate voltage-gated sodium channels during repeated firing, thus reducing muscle fatigue.
See full infographic: WEB
© KIMBERLY BATTISTA

The paper
D.J. Heredia et al., “Activity-induced Ca2+ signaling in perisynaptic Schwann cells of the early postnatal mouse is mediated by P2Y1 receptors and regulates muscle fatigue,” eLife, 7:e30839, 2018.

At first glance, neurons and muscle cells are the stars of gross motor function. Muscle movement results from coordination between nerve and muscle cells: when an action potential arrives at the presynaptic neuron terminal, calcium ions flow, causing proteins to fuse with the cell membrane and release some of the neuron’s contents, including acetylcholine, into the cleft between the neuron and muscle cell. Acetylcholine binds to receptors on the muscle cell, sending calcium ions into it and causing it to contract.

But there’s also a third kind of cell at neuromuscular junctions, a terminal/perisynaptic Schwann cell ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Keywords

Meet the Author

  • Ashley Yeager

    Ashley started at The Scientist in 2018. Before joining the staff, she worked as a freelance editor and writer, a writer at the Simons Foundation, and a web producer at Science News, among other positions. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a master’s degree in science writing from MIT. Ashley edits the Scientist to Watch and Profile sections of the magazine and writes news, features, and other stories for both online and print.

Published In

May 2018

Rare Diseases

The realities of studying uncommon conditions

Share
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

sartorius logo
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo

Products

Photo of a researcher overseeing large scale production processes in a laboratory.

Scaling Lentiviral Vector Manufacturing for Optimal Productivity

Thermo Fisher Logo
Discover a serum-free way to produce dendritic cells and macrophages for cell therapy applications.

Optimizing In Vitro Production of Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells and Macrophages

Thermo Fisher Logo
Collage-style urban graphic of wastewater surveillance and treatment

Putting Pathogens to the Test with Wastewater Surveillance

An illustration of an mRNA molecule in front of a multicolored background.

Generating High-Quality mRNA for In Vivo Delivery with Lipid Nanoparticles

Thermo Fisher Logo