The neuromuscular junction connects neurons to muscle fibers, allowing for brain signals coding involuntary and voluntary movements, to be transmitted to muscle fibers which then contract. In neuromuscular junction formation, the actin cytoskeleton shapes the postsynaptic membrane into folds. Actin filaments help stabilize the structure of the cells and the pre- and postsynaptic terminals by changing shape when tensile forces are at play. The goal of this study is to find how mechanical stress affects the actin cytoskeleton of co-cultured PC12 neuronal cells and WKO-3M22 smooth muscle cells. This will be achieved by cyclically stretching the co-cultured cells on polydimethylsiloxane polymer (PDMS) dishes. The actin cytoskeleton was stained with phalloidin rhodamine and imaged using immunofluorescence microscopy after the cells were fixed. We found that mechanical stress increases the length and number of PC12 neurites and increases the cell body area of WKO-3M22 cells. Understanding how the actin cytoskeleton is affected by mechanical stress will further help us understand how growth pathways play a role in increasing the number of neurites and reshaping the cell body.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Lopez, Gismael

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-042723-152429
• 106456

Advisor

• Scarlata, Suzanne Frances

Year

• 2023

Date created

• 2023-04-27

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Biochemistry

Source

• E-project-042723-152429

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2023-06-23