In Vivo Recordings at the Caenorhabditis elegans Neuromuscular Junction

The communication between neurons occurs via synapses, specialized connections with other cells or tissues (e.g., muscles). The function of the synapse is mainly determined by synaptic vesicle exocytosis from the presynaptic nerve terminal, which contains hundreds of vesicles that are filled with neurotransmitters. Electrophysiology provides a direct way to measure synaptic vesicle release and investigate synaptic properties. C. elegans neuromuscular junction (NMJ) has been established as a model system to study synaptic function because of the application of electrophysiological recording. Here we describe a recently developed patch-clamp recording technique in neuromuscular junction of C. elegans including details of the construction of typical electrophysiology rig, the proper dissection technique, and the recording of different types of synaptic currents.