Figure 6
From: Dynamic remodelling of synapses can occur in the absence of the parent cell body
Ultrastructural changes compatible with nerve terminal retraction continue after removal of BzATP. When nerve/muscle preparations were exposed to a 30 min BzATP (100 μM) pulse followed by a 60 min washout period prior to fixation, many nerve terminal boutons were in advanced states of retraction. This was manifested as vacant regions of muscle endplate (a) and vesicle-filled boutons that were clearly wrapped by Schwann cell processes (b). Control preparations maintained in physiological saline for 90 min (c) were identical in appearance to freshly fixed preparations (compare with figure 5a). Scale bar a, b = 1 μM, c = 500 nM