Mohammed Akaaboune, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology, University of Michigan

Our laboratory studies the interactions between nerves and muscles during development, maturity, and aging. The image shows a population of acetylcholine receptor clusters located on the muscle side of the connection or synapse between a nerve and a muscle. The pink color represents a mixture of receptors that are dynamically moving in and out from the synaptic area. The green color represents receptors that are exclusively inside of the synaptic area. These staining patterns were generated by using fluorescently labeled bungarotoxin, a snake venom protein that specifically binds to the acetylcholine receptor, causing paralysis of the muscle.