Activity-dependent vs neurotrophic modulation of acetylcholine receptor expression: evidence from rat soleus and extensor digitorum longus muscles confirms the exclusive role of activity

Evoked electrical muscle activity suppresses the transcription of mRNAs for acetylcholine receptors in extrajunctional myonuclei. Muscle denervation or disuse release such inhibition and extrajunctional receptors appear. However, in soleus muscles paralyzed with nerve-applied tetrodotoxin, a restricted perijunctional region has been described where myonuclei remain inhibited, a finding attributed to nerve-derived trophic factor(s). Here, we reinvestigate extrajunctional acetylcholine receptor expression in soleus and extensor digitorum longus muscles up to 90 days after denervation or up to 20 days of disuse, to clarify the role of trophic factors, if any. The perijunctional region of soleus muscles strongly expressed acetylcholine receptors during the first 2-3 weeks of denervation. After 2-3 months this expression had disappeared. No perijunctional expression was seen after paralysis by tetrodotoxin or botulinum toxin A. In contrast, the extensor digitorum longus never displayed suppressed perijunctional acetylcholine receptor expression after any treatment, suggesting that it is an intrinsic property of soleus muscles. Soleus denervation only transiently removed the suppression, and its presence in long-term denervated soleus muscles contradicts any contribution from nerve-derived trophic factor(s). In conclusion, our results confirm that evoked electrical activity is the physiological factor controlling the expression of acetylcholine receptors in the entire extrajunctional membrane of skeletal muscles. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.