Chapter 14, Problem 14.7PS

Nervous Twitching. Recent military conflicts have involved discussions of “weapons of mass destruction,” including nerve gas. One such nerve gas contains the chemical sarin. Sarin inhibits the enzyme that leads to destruction of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine at neuromuscular junctions. What effect would you expect sarin to have on muscle function in individuals exposed to the nerve gas, and why? In your answer, discuss in detail how sarin would be expected to affect the neuromuscular junction, and how it would affect signaling and cytoskeletal events within affected muscle cells.