Researchers at Texas A&M University have developed a new imaging method to observe mitochondria within terminal Schwann cells while maintaining their natural structure. Published in the Journal of Visualized Experiments, the technique allows scientists to study how these cells respond to nerve injury and disease without disrupting their delicate organization.
Imaging Preserves Delicate Cell Structure
Terminal Schwann cells are essential for maintaining and repairing connections between nerves and muscles at the neuromuscular junction. According to Dr. Aaron Morton, the cells can begin changing their shape the moment they are removed from their native environment, which makes it difficult for scientists to study their internal components as they would appear inside the body.
To get an accurate look at these organelles, researchers must capture images without the cells knowing anything is disrupted,
Morton said. Within the microscopic view, healthy terminal Schwann cells contain mitochondria organized as a network of linked branches, featuring small ring-like formations located near the sites of cellular division and branching. But getting that view presents a challenge.
Mitochondria Reveal Cell Health
The research team focused on mitochondrial organization as an indicator of cell health. In the dystrophic model, those networks were more fragmented and had lost their typical configurations. When everyone’s happy, they hold hands and exchange contents,
Morton said. The new method offers a way to investigate how these cells behave in their natural environment, an area of research that has previously lagged behind other cell types because scientists lacked the tools to properly investigate them.
New Methods Unlock Nerve Research
For Morton, that is the value of developing a new way to see these cells: it creates opportunities to ask questions researchers could not answer before. When a tool is created or when a new method is made, oftentimes it opens the door to new investigations, opening the door to new answers,
Morton said.
Terminal Schwann cells are found at the neuromuscular junction, where a nerve communicates with a muscle; normally, they have a distinctive shape that resembles a pretzel. Following a nerve injury, Morton noted, Schwann cells are capable of altering their form and migrating toward the site of damage, where they assist in removing waste and secreting healing-promoting growth factors.
The study, titled Methods for In situ Quantification of Mitochondrial Morphology in Muscle and Terminal Schwann Cells of Mice, was published in the Journal of Visualized Experiments in 2026 (DOI: 10.3791/69732). The project, provided by Texas A&M University, was edited by content editor Swati Mestri, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering.