The focus of research in our laboratory is determining the molecular mechanisms that lead to neuromuscular disease. As the term implies, neuromuscular disease can result from a defect in the nerve, the muscle, or the communication between the two. While investigating neuromuscular communication, we identified several proteins that are concentrated at the neuromuscular junction that are also part of the dystrophin protein complex. Dystrophin and its associated proteins are crucial to muscle function and the absence of the complex (and in some cases individual components) leads to muscular dystrophy. Currently our research is directed toward understanding the contributions of a variety of dystrophin-associated proteins in muscle disease and therapy.