Production and release of acetylcholinesterase by cultured chick embryo muscle

Surface AChE in the chick ciliary ganglion neurons: Ultrastructural localization and possible relations to ?-bungarotoxin receptors

The localization of acetylcholinesterase activity in the chick ciliary ganglion was investigated by ultrastructural cytochemistry. Both ganglionic cell populations, i.e. the ciliary and the choroid neurons, showed similar distribution patterns of the enzymic activity in the cytoplasm as well as at the neuronal surface. As indicated by specific inhibition tests, the whole enzymic activity was attributable to specific acetylcholinesterase. While the endocellular activity was mainly localized in the rough endoplasmic reticulum, the surface activity occurred at postsynaptic level and at extrasynaptic areas, where the neuronal membrane comes into contact with the plasma membrane of the satellite cell (boundary neuron-satellite cell). Enzymic activity also uniformly occurred at the surface of preganglionic nerve terminals. The surface localization of specific acetylcholinesterase recalls that recently described for ?-bungarotoxin receptors, which suggests that acetylcholinesterase and ?-bungarotoxin receptors can be distributed together, not only at postsynaptic level but also in extrasynaptic neuronal areas and at presynaptic level. The possibility that ?-bungarotoxin receptors and acetylcholinesterase form a .receptive' system not engaged in ganglionic transmission and not exclusively confined to postsynaptic level is discussed in relation to the electrophysiological data existing in literature.

Regulation of acetylcholinesterase in cultured muscle by chemical agents and electrical stimulation

Cultures of 11 day old chick embryo pectoral muscle were used to study the effects of direct electrical stimulation and neurochemicals such as acetylcholine, acetyl-beta-methylcholine, tetrodotoxin, and d-tubocurarine on the acetylcholinesterase levels of muscle. The results suggest that excitation-contraction is an important factor in regulation of muscle acetylcholinesterase. Tetrodotoxin, acetylcholine and its analog acetyl-beta-methylcholine increased acetylcholinesterase levels and reduced spontaneous contractions. D-tubocurarine blocked the increase in acetylcholinesterase and the decrease in spontaneous contractions caused by acetyl-beta-methylcholine. Electrical stimulation decreased acetylcholinesterase and increased muscle contractions in normal and in diisopropylfluorophosphate treated cultures. Tetrodotoxin also affected the morphology of the muscle cells, as if it adversely affected normal growth and differentiation. Electrical stimulation did not increase muscle creatine kinase.

Compartmentalization of acetylcholinesterase mRNA and enzyme at the vertebrate neuromuscular junction

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is concentrated at the vertebrate neuromuscular synapse. To determine whether increased transcript levels could underlie this selective accumulation, we employed a quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction-based assay to determine mRNA copy number in samples as small as single neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) and a microassay to measure AChE enzyme activity at single synapses. Our results show that AChE mRNA is an intermediate transcript at NMJs, whereas in noninnervated regions of muscle fibers, AChE transcripts are either undetectable or rare. In contrast, alpha-actin transcript levels in the same samples are similar in junctional and extrajunctional regions. However, compared with AChE enzyme activity and alpha-actin mRNA levels, the levels of AChE transcripts at NMJs are highly variable. These results indicate that AChE mRNA and protein expression are compartmentalized at the vertebrate NMJ and provide a direct approach toward dissecting the molecular events leading from synaptic activation to plastic changes in gene expression at single vertebrate synapses.

Membrane-bound acetylcholinesterase: an early differentiation marker for skeletal myoblasts

Cell-bound acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was found to be an early differentiation marker on embryonic chick skeletal myoblasts in mixed primary cell cultures. AChE biosynthesis was detected and characterized by (a) a sensitive microtiter assay, (b) use of selective inhibitors, and (c) with mono- and polyclonal antibodies. Both secreted and cell-bound AChE appeared on the first day in culture, at a time when no muscle cell fusion was observed. Characterization of this enzyme revealed that true AChE was bound and secreted by myoblasts. BW284c51, which permeates cell membranes poorly, inhibited all the cell-associated AChE activity on myoblasts, suggesting that the activity measured was on the outer cell surface. On the other hand, fibroblasts appeared to have no or very little bound enzyme and the low level of secreted enzyme activity had the characteristics of pseudo-, or butyrylcholinesterase. Polyclonal anti-Torpedo californica electroplax AChE antibody and several monoclonal antibodies were found to bind specifically to chick myoblasts. Since the cells had not been made permeable before antibody binding, a membrane-bound form of the enzyme was most likely being detected. The cell-bound true AChE was present in identifiable quantities from the first day of culture. Membrane-bound AChE can thus serve as an early differentiation marker for embryonic chick myoblasts in mixed primary cultures.

Calcium and ionophore A23187 stimulates deposition of extracellular matrix and acetylcholinesterase release in cultured myotubes

Calcium (Ca2+) and calcium-transporting ionophores stimulate protein secretion in many cellular systems. We demonstrate here than increases in intracellular calcium concentration induce a time- and concentration-dependent deposition of extracellular matrix and an increase in acetylcholinesterase secretion. Scanning and transmission electron-microscopy revealed that treatment with the calcium ionophore A23187, or high extracellular Ca2+ levels (5 mM to 15 mM) produce significant deposits of extracellular matrix around the myotubes, as well as a marked increase in the acetylcholinesterase reaction-product. Blocking muscle contraction was not necessary for the induction of AChE secretory activity. Sucrose density-gradients of media conditioned by muscle cells revealed 3 separate acetylcholinesterase molecular forms. However, incubation with A23187 increased only the 4.5 S and the 7.2 S molecular forms, whereas the 12.0 S form showed no significant differences from controls. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and autoradiography using [3H]diisopropyl fluorophosphate revealed a broad band at 65,000 daltons. This band was broader than for controls when medium was obtained from A23187-treated cells. Our results show that increasing intracellular Ca2+ concentration induces marked deposition of extracellular matrix and increased acetylcholinesterase secretion, with an apparent selectivity for the monomeric and dimeric acetylcholinesterase molecular forms.

Inhibition by transforming growth factor beta of choline acetyltransferase stimulation in a co-culture of spinal cord and muscle cells from mice

Choline acetyltransferase (CAT) activity increased 11-fold in co-cultures of spinal cord and muscle cells from fetal mice relative to cultures of spinal cord cells alone. The addition of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) to the medium at 30 pM throughout the culture period inhibited the increase of CAT activity in the co-cultures, but did not affect the activity in cultures of spinal cord cells alone. TGF-beta did not inhibit glutamic acid decarboxylase activity in the co-cultures. Other growth factors such as epidermal growth factor, fibroblast growth factor and beta-NGF had little or no effect on CAT activity. TGF-beta markedly inhibited the fusion of myoblasts to myotubes and the expression of marker enzymes for muscle differentiation. When TGF-beta was included during muscle culture and removed before inoculation with spinal cord cells, myoblasts did not subsequently form myotubes. CAT activity in the spinal cord cells, however, markedly increased in co-cultures with the undifferentiated myoblasts. When TGF-beta was added to the co-cultures after myotube formation was complete, the increase in CAT activity was inhibited according to the length of TGF-beta treatment. These results suggest that TGF-beta inhibits the muscle-induced stimulation of CAT activity by inhibiting the production, secretion and/or action of trophic factors from muscle.

Multiple molecular forms and lectin interactions of organophosphate-sensitive plasma and liver esterases during development of the chick

Liver and plasma acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and carboxylesterase activities of the chick embryo and adult chickens were separated by sucrose density gradient sedimentation and further differentiated by their lectin affinities and organophosphate sensitivities. Changes in plasma cholinesterases during development indicated a characteristic shift in tetrameric (G4) isoforms from a slightly larger G4 AChE in the embryo to G4 BChE in the adult. These changes were not reflected in isoform patterns of liver homogenates, however. Interestingly, the time course of an increase in plasma BChE activity corresponded to the time course of a decrease in liver BChE activity, as if this enzyme was being mobilized and released. The distribution of liver esterases included both monomeric (G1) and G4 BChE and a large p-nitrophenylacetate (p-NPA) esterase activity that was separated into two main peaks by density gradient ultracentrifugation. The effects of organophosphate inhibitors indicated that the two liver p-NPA esterase activities may be regarded as carboxylesterases; however, these enzymes showed very different sensitivities to paraoxon and diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), with IC50 values differing by 3 and 4 orders of magnitude. Lectin affinity studies with multiple esterase forms suggested a heterogeneous group of glycoproteins that were packaged at different sites in the liver cell and were consistent with the presence of an intracellular precursor form to plasma BChE.

Characterization, localization, and biosynthesis of acetylcholinesterase in K 562 cells

K 562 cell acetylcholinesterase (AChE), identifiable by active site labeling with radioactive diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), showed a Mr around 55,000 in both a crude lysate and a purified sample. The K 562 AChE was reactive with one polyclonal and two monoclonal antibodies produced against human erythrocyte AChE. Subcellular localization, investigated by assay on cell fractions, showed that AChE is membrane bound and that it is located on the cell surface as well as on microsomal and Golgi membranes. Biosynthesis of new enzyme molecules, after inactivation of the constitutive AChE with the irreversible inhibitor DFP, allowed us to follow the kinetics of reappearance in the intracellular compartment and at the cell surface (4 and 8 h, respectively).

Developmental discord among markers for cholinergic differentiation: in vitro time courses for early expression and responses to skeletal muscle extract

The effects of skeletal muscle extract on the development of CAT, ACh synthesis, high affinity choline uptake, and AChE activities were studied in dissociated ventral spinal cord cultures prepared from 14-day gestational rat embryos. In the absence of muscle extract, the development of CAT and AChE follow biphasic time courses in which they show initial declines followed by periods of steadily increasing activity. In contrast, ACh synthesis and high affinity choline uptake both gradually increase throughout the entire culture period. The presence of muscle extract both prevents the initial decline of CAT and AChE as well as stimulates the rates of development of all four cholinergic markers; however, the degrees and time courses of stimulation differ markedly. The effects of muscle extract on the kinetic and pharmacological properties of ACh synthesis and choline uptake in rat ventral cord cultures were also investigated. Cells treated with muscle extract for 2 days express both high affinity (Km = 1.6 microM) and low affinity (Km = 22 microM) choline uptake mechanisms. Control cells, on the other hand, express only low affinity uptake at this stage but develop a high affinity uptake mechanism by Day 7. During this time both ACh synthesis and high affinity choline uptake become increasingly sensitive to inhibition by hemicholinium-3. These results demonstrate that skeletal muscle factors enhance the development of cholinergic properties in embryonic spinal cord cultures. However, differences in sensitivity to muscle extract concentration, time courses of development, and degrees of stimulation suggest that these changes may involve distinct cellular mechanisms which are differentially affected by skeletal muscle factors.

Recovery of acetylcholinesterase activity after irreversible inhibition by organophosphorous compounds in embryonic development

1. Recovery of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was studied using the embryos of sea urchins Strongylocentrotus intermedius and S. nudus, embryos of axolotl Ambystoma mexicanum and in the chick embryo muscle culture treated by "irreversible" organophosphorous inhibitors (OPI). 2. AChE activity was assayed by a modified Ellman's procedure. 3. It follows from the data obtained that, unlike the plutei of sea urchins and the monolayer culture of chick embryo muscle cells, the embryos of axolotl show a compensatory increase in AChE biosynthesis after inhibition by OPI. 4. This mechanism is assumed to be related to the presence of a well developed neuromuscular system in the A. mexicanum embryos. 5. It is possible that acetylcholine accumulated as a result of partial AChE inhibition is responsible for the compensatory increase in AChE biosynthesis.

Modes of attachment of acetylcholinesterase to the surface membrane

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) occurs in multiple molecular forms differing in their quaternary structure and mode of anchoring to the surface membrane. Attachment is achieved by post-translational modification of the catalytic subunits. Two such mechanisms are described. One involves attachment to catalytic subunit tetramers, via disulfide bridges, of a collagen-like fibrous tail. This, in turn, interacts, primarily via ionic forces, with a heparin-like proteoglycan in the extracellular matrix. A second such modification involve the covalent attachment of a single phosphatidylinositol molecule at the carboxyl-terminus of each catalytic subunit polypeptide; the diacylglycerol moiety of the phospholipid serves to anchor the modified enzyme hydrophobically to the lipid bilayer of the plasma membrane. The detailed molecular structure of these two classes of acetylcholinesterase are discussed, as well as their biosynthesis and mode of anchoring.

A monoclonal antibody specific for avian early myogenic cells and differentiated muscle

A monoclonal antibody raised in mouse in response to homogenates of Remark ganglia and dorsal mesentery of chicken embryos was found to exhibit a unique reactivity towards myogenic cells, heart, striated muscles, and smooth muscles in chicken and quail. Indirect immunofluorescence assays were performed at different stages of chicken and quail embryonic development and, after hatching, on tissue sections and cultured cells. They revealed that the cytoplasmic marker recognized by 13F4 is expressed in early embryonic heart, in somitic myotome (from stage 14 onward), in the skeletal muscles in limbs and trunk, in all muscles in the head and the branchial arches, in the smooth muscles of the digestive tract and blood vessels. In myofibrils of striated muscles, the antigen is localized in the Z lines. The antigenicity of the molecule recognized by 13F4 is not associated with a glycolipid or a glycoprotein. It is of peptidic nature and its molecular weight is 54 kDa. We stress the value of this cell-type-specific marker in studies on ontogenesis and differentiation of all muscular structures, namely, of myocardium and striated muscles, which express 13F4 antigenicity from an early developmental stage.

Characterization of cholinergic muscarinic receptors in cow tracheal muscle membranes. Effect of maturation

The parasympathetic nervous system is important in the control of basal airway muscle tone and caliber. We characterized muscarinic cholinergic receptors in isolated tracheal membranes from cows of three age groups (immature, less than 2 weeks; transition, 3-5 months; and mature, greater than 5 years) using l-[3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate (l-[3H]QNB) as the radioligand. There were significant decreases in the densities of l-[3H]QNB binding sites with maturation (Bmax: 2344 +/- 169 vs 1381 +/- 85 vs 1116 +/- 80 fmol/mg protein for tissues from immature, transition and mature cows respectively). No change in the dissociation constant was observed with maturation (Kd: 0.38 +/- 0.09 vs 0.55 +/- 0.06 vs 0.50 +/- 0.07 nM for tissues from immature, transition and mature animals respectively). The association and dissociation rate constants did not vary between tissues from immature and mature animals. The specific activity of the enzyme, acetylcholinesterase, was correlated with the density of l-[3H]QNB binding sites present in the tracheal homogenates; that is, with maturation, there were significant decreases in acetylcholinesterase activity [0.28 +/- 0.01 vs 0.16 +/- 0.02 vs 0.08 +/- 0.01 mol X l-1 X min-1 X (mg protein)-1 for tissues from immature, transition and mature animals respectively]. All competition binding studies using muscarinic antagonists exhibited single site binding and did not show any differences in drug affinities between the age groups. In contrast, multiple binding sites were observed with carbachol, methacholine and muscarine, and there were significant decreases in receptor affinities for the muscarinic agonists. No changes in the proportion of high and low affinity sites were found. These results indicate that with maturation there are alterations in the properties of muscarinic receptors in tracheal smooth muscle.

Neurons segregate clusters of membrane-bound acetylcholinesterase along their neurites

Immunocytochemical studies with a monoclonal antibody show that acetylcholinesterase (AcChoEase; EC 3.1.1.7) is distributed in clusters along the fibers of cultured sympathetic neurons but is essentially absent from cell bodies. Although tissue-cultured sympathetic neurons synthesize several oligomeric forms of AcChoEase, only the hydrophobic globular (G4) form of AcChoEase is present within these clusters. This G4 form is asymmetrically distributed within neurons and is transported preferentially into nerve fibers following its synthesis in the cell bodies. Thus G4 is found in clusters on neurons and is readily distinguishable from the hydrophilic forms on the surfaces of myotubes. The association of a specialized form of AcChoEase in densities on neurons in culture indicates that neurons and myotubes have distinct mechanisms for localizing AcChoEase molecules on their surfaces and suggests that these two types of electrically excitable cells have different requirements for organizing synaptic components on their plasma membranes.

Ontogenesis of autonomic receptors and AChE activity in the rat vas deferens

The study was undertaken to obtain some information about the development of the autonomic receptors and the AChE activity in the rat vas deferens. The results suggest that the adrenoceptors were fully developed at birth. The M1-ACh receptors were developed before the M2-ACh receptors. The AChE activity developed before the ACh muscarinic receptors of the rat vas deferens.

Effect of collagenase treatment and subsequent culture on rat muscle fiber acetylcholinesterase activity

After collagenase treatment and mechanical disruption, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity on the surface of individual flexor brevis muscle fibers fell by 88%. During the next 48 hr in culture, surface AChE activity continued to decline, while intracellular activity changed little. After 1 week in culture total muscle fiber AChE activity fell to very low levels and intracellular AChE activity could no longer be detected, probably as a result of reduced synthesis and rapid externalization of intracellular AChE. Apart from the removal of most of the surface activity, cultured muscle fibers had similar AChE activity to muscle fibers that had been denervated in vivo, suggesting that the changes observed in culture reflect the loss of neuromuscular interaction and not to any contributory effects of the dissociation process. It is to be hoped that these results, along with the published results of Bekoff and Betz [J. Physiol, 271:25-40, 537-547], will serve as useful background data for those continuing to use adult dissociated muscle fibers in their studies.

Serum regulation of acetylcholinesterase in cultured myotubes

A large (20S) collagen-tailed form of acetylcholinesterase associated with the neuromuscular junction appears in cultures of chick embryo muscle cells when horse serum is withdrawn from the medium. In this report, 10-day-old cultures were incubated 2 days in serum-free medium or in medium containing either horse, bovine, fetal calf, chicken, heat-treated horse or chicken serum, low (less than 100K) or high (less than 100K) molecular weight fractions of horse serum, or fibronectin. Total acetylcholinesterase activity and activity of the 20S form increased in medium without serum, with fetal calf serum and with the low-molecular-weight fraction of horse serum. The largest increase occurred with fibronectin. The results suggest that a factor(s) greater than 100K in adult sera inhibits total acetylcholinesterase production and formation of the 20S form of the enzyme.

Low-molecular-weight peptide stimulates cholinergic development in ventral spinal cord cultures

Skeletal muscle extract contains a previously undocumented 1300- to 1500-Da neurotrophic factor. Incubation of ventral spinal cord neurons in the presence of this factor enhances the rate of de novo acetylcholine synthesis two- to threefold over control cells, after 6 days in culture. This effect on cholinergic activity appears to be selective, since incubation with the factor results in only slight elevations of lactate dehydrogenase activity and DNA content, and no increase in the acetylcholinesterase activity. The 1300- to 1500-Da factor is acid-stable and partially sensitive to proteolysis by proteinase K, Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, and subtilisin, but insensitive to trypsin. These results indicate that the active moiety is a peptide. The importance of peptides as neurotransmitters or neuromodulators is well accepted, but their role in the regulation of neuronal development is not widely appreciated. The present cholinergic neurotrophic peptide is distinct from previously characterized cholinergic trophic factors and represents the first example of a small, target-derived peptide which influences cholinergic development.

Asymmetric acetylcholinesterase is assembled in the Golgi apparatus

The synthesis, assembly, and processing of the multiple molecular forms of acetylcholinesterase (AcChoEase; acetylcholine acetylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.7) in quail muscle cultures was studied by using lectins to distinguish enzyme molecules residing in different subcellular compartments. Special emphasis was given to the assembly of asymmetric AcChoEase molecules because these appear to be the predominant, if not unique, forms of AcChoEase at the vertebrate neuromuscular junction. All cell surface and secreted AcChoEase forms bind to immobilized wheat germ agglutinin, ricin, and concanavalin A, indicating that they have complex oligosaccharides. After treatment of muscle cells with a membrane-permeable irreversible AcChoEase inhibitor, there is a rapid reappearance of the globular monomeric, dimeric, and tetrameric AcChoEase forms. However, the collagen-tailed asymmetric form does not appear until about 90 min after treatment. Analysis of the AcChoEase oligosaccharides with lectins indicates maturation to complex forms over a 90-min period. A large fraction of the intracellular globular AcChoEase molecules bind only to concanavalin A, indicating that they are assembled in the rough endoplasmic reticulum. In contrast, all intracellular asymmetric AcChoEase binds to wheat germ agglutinin, and a significant fraction binds to ricin, indicating that this unique AcChoEase form is assembled from subunits that have previously acquired complex sugars. I conclude that assembly of asymmetric AcChoEase, hence acquisition of information specifying basal lamina localization, occurs in the Golgi apparatus.

Evidence for a functional role of acetylcholinesterase in cultured chick myotubes

This study was undertaken in order to assess the functional role of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in cultures of chick skeletal muscle cells. Cultures of skeletal myotubes were prepared by mechanical dissociation of limb muscle removed from 11-day-old chick embryos and plating at a concentration of 0.8 X 10(6) cells/ml. Cultures incubated for 4-10 days were used for electrophysiological studies with intracellular microelectrodes. Individual myotubes differed with respect to the time course of repolarization following depolarization by acetylcholine (ACh), some cells repolarizing within 2-3 min and others only after 8-10 min. Physostigmine (10(-8)-10(-6) M) prolonged or sometimes completely prevented repolarization following ACh-induced depolarization. These results demonstrate that hydrolysis of ACh by AChE in cultured chick skeletal myotubes plays an important role in the repolarization of these cells following ACh-induced depolarization.

Aggregates of acetylcholine receptors are associated with plaques of a basal lamina heparan sulfate proteoglycan on the surface of skeletal muscle fibers

Hybridoma techniques have been used to generate monoclonal antibodies to an antigen concentrated in the basal lamina at the Xenopus laevis neuromuscular junction. The antibodies selectively precipitate a high molecular weight heparan sulfate proteoglycan from conditioned medium of muscle cultures grown in the presence of [35S]methionine or [35S]sulfate. Electron microscope autoradiography of adult X. laevis muscle fibers exposed to 125I-labeled antibody confirms that the antigen is localized within the basal lamina of skeletal muscle fibers and is concentrated at least fivefold within the specialized basal lamina at the neuromuscular junction. Fluorescence immunocytochemical experiments suggest that a similar proteoglycan is also present in other basement membranes, including those associated with blood vessels, myelinated axons, nerve sheath, and notochord. During development in culture, the surface of embryonic muscle cells displays a conspicuously non-uniform distribution of this basal lamina proteoglycan, consisting of large areas with a low antigen site-density and a variety of discrete plaques and fibrils. Clusters of acetylcholine receptors that form on muscle cells cultured without nerve are invariably associated with adjacent, congruent plaques containing basal lamina proteoglycan. This is also true for clusters of junctional receptors formed during synaptogenesis in vitro. This correlation indicates that the spatial organization of receptor and proteoglycan is coordinately regulated, and suggests that interactions between these two species may contribute to the localization of acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction.

Recovery of acetylcholinesterase forms in quail muscle cultures after intoxication with diisopropylfluorophosphate

Studies of recovery of acetylcholinesterase (AChE, EC 3.1.1.7) after inhibition by organophosphates (OPs) have been hampered by the low number of in vitro systems with large collagen-tailed forms of AChE characteristic of motor end plates. Pectoral muscle cultures from Japanese quail with high levels of a large 20S form of AChE were used to study recovery of cells from acute treatment with diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), an irreversible AChE inhibitor. Low molecular weight AChE forms were synthesized more rapidly than the large 20S form following a 15-min treatment with 10(-4)M DFP. Most of the activities of the small forms, but only part of the activity of the 20S form, disappeared within 48 hr after cycloheximide was added to block protein synthesis. To the contrary, virtually all the activity of the 20S AChE that was newly synthesized after DFP treatment was lost within 24 hr after cycloheximide treatment. The results were generally consistent with the idea that the 20S AChE form is assembled inside the cell near to its surface and then is released to bind to its outside.

Acetylcholinesterase biosynthesis and transport in tissue culture

The enzyme acetylcholinesterase consists of a family of molecular forms differing in subunit composition, solubility properties, and subcellular location. The use of a variety of reversible or irreversible active site-directed ligands with different membrane permeability properties permits the selective inactivation of separate pools of enzyme molecules. The application of these inhibitors together with standard biochemical techniques has permitted a detailed characterization of the synthesis and metabolism of the secretory and membrane-bound acetylcholinesterase in tissue-cultured cells. These techniques, with minor modifications and appropriate controls, can also be applied to the study of AChE metabolism in organ culture and in vivo.

Fluctuation in the development of various skeletal muscles in the chick embryo, with special reference to AChE activity and the formation of neuromuscular junctions

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-rich cytoplasmic granules in the developing myofibers increased remarkably until the establishment of neuromuscular junctions and thereafter decreased rapidly, whereas junctional AChE activities continued to increase (K. Wake, 1976, Cell Tissue Res. 173, 383-400). In the present paper, during the developmental course of the chick embryo, the temporal and regional gradients in differentiation of skeletal muscles at various sites were examined with special reference to the fluctuation of intracellular AChE activity. AChE-rich granules in each muscle throughout the whole body of chick embryos were observed. Since the distribution pattern of these granules changed regularly in the course of the muscle fiber development, advances of muscle differentiation in various sites of the body were compared. (1) The process of muscle development is more advanced in the trunk muscles than in the limb muscles. (2) The dorsal trunk muscles differentiate one day earlier than the ventral ones. (3) Within the same limb, proximal muscles differentiate approximately 24 hr ahead of distal ones. (4) The development of posterior limb muscles advances faster than that of anterior limb muscles. (5) Within the thigh muscles, the flexor muscles tend to differentiate earlier than the extensor muscles.

cGMP accumulation by spinal cord neurons during the period of neuromuscular junction formation

A 4--5-fold increase in cGMP levels in spinal cord neurons has been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo upon association with skeletal muscle. The increase on cGMP was temporally coincident with the onset of neuromuscular junction formation and independent of any concomitant change in cAMP. The response was specific for spinal cord neurons cocultured with skeletal muscle; glial cells could not be substituted for spinal cord neurons nor could fibroblasts be substituted for muscle cells. The response was not dependent upon action potential activity, synaptic transmission or muscle contractile activity. Muscle conditioned medium was found to produce the largest increase of cGMP in spinal cord neurons of 23-fold.

Association of the synaptic form of acetylcholinesterase with extracellular matrix in cultured mouse muscle cells

Myotubes of a mouse muscle-cell line (C2) synthesize in culture a 16S form of acetylcholinesterase that is normally found only in regions of adult mouse muscle that contain endplates. The 16S enzyme in C2 cell extracts has the properties expected of acetylcholinesterase forms that have a collagen-like tail. In intact cells, the active site of the 16S acetylcholinesterase is protected by a membrane-impermeable inhibitor, and this form of the enzyme can be removed by treatment of the cells with collagenase. Thus the enzyme is extracellular. Its extraction by high ionic strength solutions lacking detergent suggests that the 16S form is associated with the extracellular matrix by ionic interactions. Histochemical staining shows focal patches of acetylcholinesterase activity on the cell surface. Collagenase treatment, which removes only the 16S form, abolishes this staining pattern, indicating that the patches consist of the 16S enzyme. We conclude that the 16S enzyme in C2 myotubes occurs in focal patches on the cell surface, where it is associated with the extracellular matrix.

Muscle protein analysis by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis

Two-dimensional electrophoresis was first applied to the analysis of muscle proteins in 1976 when the occurrence of multiple forms of actin was discovered. Since that time the technique has become widely accepted as a new approach to studies of myogenesis, muscle differentiation, and muscle pathology. In addition, two-dimensional electrophoresis now is being used to investigate contractile proteins present in nonmuscle cells. This review will discuss, in general, the technique of two-dimensional electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels which combines isoelectric focusing and sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis. The application of the technique specifically to muscle protein analysis will be discussed through a review of existing literature on two-dimensional electrophoresis of cultured muscle cells and tissue homogenates. Attention will be given to contractile protein heterogeneities such as alpha, beta, and gamma actin and the embryonic forms of myosin light chains, all discovered through the use of two-dimensional electrophoresis. New information concerning gene expression during muscle differentiation revealed by differences in two-dimensional electrophoresis protein patterns and the use of two-dimensional electrophoresis for studying human muscle pathology through analysis of tissue biopsies will also be discussed.

Activity, molecular forms, and cytochemistry of cholinesterases in developing rat diaphragm

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) were studied in the diaphragm of early postnatal rats, using radiometric determination of enzyme activities, velocity sedimentation for separation of molecular forms, and electron microscopic cytochemistry to localize enzymes. AChE activity did not change significantly during the first 2 months after birth. The level of 16 S AChE was high at early stages, but decreased to adult levels between days 19 and 32 after birth. In newborn and 8-day-old rats, 16 S and 13 S AChE were present in both endplate and extrajunctional muscle. In newborn muscle, BuChE activity was higher than AChE activity, but decreased 6-fold by day 32. Newborn muscle contained 16 S, 10 S, and 4 S BuChE. The principal form throughout development was 4 S BuChE, but all forms diminished as total BuChE activity decreased with maturation. At early postnatal neuromuscular junctions, end product of both AChE and BuChE was present in the cleft, as well as in Schwann cells. More Schwann cells wee present in early stages than in later stages, and this might account for part of the later decrease of BuChE activity measured biochemically.

Effects of acute and chronic denervation on release of acetylcholinesterase and its molecular forms in rat diaphragms

Hemidiaphragms were removed from rats at various times after intrathoracic transection of the left phrenic nerve and were incubated in organ baths containing 1.5 ml of oxygenated, buffered physiologic saline solution, with added glucose and bovine serum albumin. After incubation, the acetylcholinesterase (AChE: EC 3.1.1.7) activities of the bath fluid and of the muscle were determined. Innervated left hemidiaphragms were found to release 107 units of AChE over a 3-h period, corresponding to 1.9% of their total AChE activity. Denervation led to a rapid loss of AChE from the muscle coincident with a transient increase in the outpouring of enzyme activity into the bath fluid. Thus, 1 day after nerve transection the left hemidiaphragm contained only 68% of the control amounts of AChE activity, but released 140% as much as control. After 3 or 4 days of denervation, the AChE activity of the diaphragm stabilized at 35% of the control value. Release also fell below control by this time, but not as far. One week after denervation the release, 69 units per 3 hr, correspond to 3.3% of the reduced content of AChE activity in the muscle, indicating that denervation caused an increase in the proportion of AChE released. Sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation showed that 10S AChE accounted for more than 80% of the released enzyme activity at all times. The results did not rule out the possibility, however, that the released enzyme originally stemmed from 4S or 16S AChE in the diaphragms.

Modulation of the distribution of acetylcholinesterase molecular forms in a murine neuroblastoma x sympathetic ganglion cell hybrid cell line

Studies were carried out on the polymorphism of acetylcholinesterase (AChE, EC 3.1.1.7) in a neuroblastoma x sympathetic ganglion cell hybrid cell line (T28) and its parental clone (N18TG2). These cells contain the tetrameric (G4, 10S), dimeric (G2, 6.5S) and monomeric (G1, 4S) forms of AchE, but not the collagen-tailed A12(16S) form of the sympathetic ganglion. Three variants of these forms could be distinguished on the basis of their solubility properties: (i) secreted forms which do not interact with the detergent Triton X-100; (ii) cellular forms which may be solubilized in detergent-free buffer and which interact reversibly with Triton X-100; (iii) cellular forms which require detergent for solubility, and aggregate in its absence. By using a nonpenetrating inhibitor, we demonstrated that, in T28 stationary cells, the cellular G4 form is associated with the plasma membrane, whereas the G1 form is intracellular. During induction of AChE activity in T28 cells, the relative proportion of the G4 form increases, suggesting, in agreement with previous observations, that G1 is a metabolic precursor of G4. The evolution of AChE molecular forms released into the culture medium closely resembles that of the cellular forms. The preferential accumulation of the G4 molecules does not simply depend on the cellular level of G1. It is favoured by culture conditions which promote morphological differentiation, but does not require the actual extension of neurites. T28 cells as well as other neuroblastoma-derived cells appear to be useful experimental materials to investigate the regulatory mechanisms underlying the maturation of AChE globular forms.

Synthesis, transport and fate of acetylcholinesterase in cultured chick embryos muscle cells

We have found that approximately one third of the total cell-associated acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is located on the plasma membrane of cultured chick embryo muscle, the remaining two thirds being found within the cells. This cell surface AChE appears to be an integral membrane protein. The surface enzyme is synthesized by the muscle cells in culture and is transported over a 2-3 hr period to the plasma membrane, where it accumulates at the rate of 2-3% of total surface AChE per hour. Once on the plasma membrane the AChE molecules are degraded by a process that exhibits first-order decay kinetics with a half-life of about 50 hr. Under the same experimental conditions, the acetylcholine receptor, a well described muscle cell integral membrane protein, has a half-life of approximately 19 hr. These studies provide the first direct evidence that the numbers of different muscle plasma membrane glycoprotein molecules are determined not only by differential rates of biosynthesis but also by differential rates of degradation. The intracellular AChE constitutes a rapidly turning-over pool of molecules. The rate of synthesis of AChE in culture is approximately 20% of the total cell-associated enzyme per hour, most of which is destined for secretion into the medium. Only a small portion of the newly synthesized AChE is retained on the plasma membrane. The time from synthesis to release of the enzyme is 2-3 hr. Using 3H-DFP to label the newly synthesized AChE, we can also show a quantitative transfer of AChE molecules from the intracellular to the extracellular compartments without any detectable residence time on the plasma membrane. By studying the synthesis transport and externalization of AChE we have defined the intracellular transport pathway and metabolic requirements for secretion in cultured muscle cells. These studies form the basis for a comparison of the metabolism of membrane-bound and secreted glycoproteins from this cell type.

Secretion of acetylcholinesterase: relation to acetylcholine receptor metabolism

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and acetylcholine receptors (AChR) are muscle-specific glycoproteins present (AChR) are muscle-specific glycoproteins present in cultured chick embryo muscle cells. The first is found as both a secreted and a membrane-bound enzyme whereas the ACh receptor is strictly an integral membrane protein. We have studied the transport and externalization of these two proteins in the same cells using several compounds known to affect secretory processes: colchicine, tunicamycin and the ionophores X-537A, Nigericin and Monensin. Under all experimental conditions, any change in the rate of AChE secretion was accompanied by an identical change in the rate of ACh receptor incorporation into the plasma membrane. These studies were designed to test directly the hypothesis that secreted and integral membrane proteins are transported together to the plasma membrane. Our results are consistent with a single transport pathway in muscle cells for the externalization of membrane and secreted proteins.

Control of junctional acetylcholinesterase by neural and muscular influences in the rat

1. The development of AChE at ectopic neuromuscular junctions forming between a transplanted foreign nerve (the superficial fibular nerve) and the denervated soleus muscle has been studied in adult rats. 2. Junctional AChE activity began to appear in the vicinity of the fibular nerve sprouts 6-7 days after section of the soleus nerve and 3-4 days after the onset of transmission. 3. No histochemically detectable AChE appeared when the fibular nerve was cut 0-4 days after the soleus nerve had been cut. 4. Direct electrical stimulation of the denervated soleus muscle caused plaques of true AChE, as determined by inhibitor studies, to appear in muscles where the fibular nerve had been cut 2-4 days after the soleus nerve but not in muscles where the two nerves had been cut at the same time. The plaques appeared only in the vicinity of fibular nerve sprouts and coincided with newly formed but stable peaks of ACh sensitivity. Local application of Neostigmine prolonged and increased the depolarising response evoked by pulses of ACh at these sites. 5. In muscles where the fibular nerve was intact the AChE plaques changed gradually over a few weeks from an immature appearance to a mature appearance characteristic of normal end-plates. In stimulated muscles where the fibular nerve had been cut the plaques stained intensely but remained morphologically immature. 6. We conclude (1) that muscle activity is important for the appearance of AChE at developing neuromuscular junctions and (2) that AChE accumulates only at sites on the muscle surface where the nerve fibres have left a 'trace' upon contact with the muscle fibres. These traces form quickly and persist after nerve-muscle interaction of as little as 2 days. The muscle appears as a major source of junctional AChE since stimulation of the muscle induces intense AChE activity in muscles where the nerve has degenerated.