Effects of a snake alpha-neurotoxin on the development of innervated skeletal muscles in chick embryo.

The evolution of the cholinergic (nicotinic) receptor in chick muscles is monitored during embryonic development with a tritiated alpha-neurotoxin from Naja nigricollis and compared with the appearance of acetylcholinesterase. The specific activity of these two proteins reaches a maximum around the 12th day of incubation. By contrast, choline acetyltransferase reaches an early maximum of specific activity around the 7th day of development, and later continuously increases until hatching. Injection of alpha-toxin in the yolk sac at early stages of development causes an atrophy of skeletal and extrinsic ocular-muscles and of their innervation. In 16-day embryos treated by the alpha-toxin, the endplates revealed by the Koelle reaction are almost completely absent. The total content and specific activities of acetylcholinesterase and choline acetyltransferase in atrophic muscles are markedly reduced.