Biochemical and molecular characterization of acetylcholinesterase from the hagfish Myxine glutinosa

Improving the Efficiency of Precise Genome Editing with CRISPR/Cas9 to Generate Goats Overexpressing Human Butyrylcholinesterase

The CRISPR/Cas9 system is widely used for genome editing in livestock production, although off-target effects can occur. It is the main method to produce genome-edited goats by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome-edited primary goat fetal fibroblast cells (GFFs). Improving the double-strand break (DSB) efficiency of Cas9 in primary cells would improve the homologous repair (HR) efficiency. The low efficiency of HR remains a major hurdle in CRISPR/Cas9-mediated precise genome editing, increasing the work required to screen the genome-edited primary cell clones. In this study, we modified several essential parameters that affect the efficiency of the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knock-in GFF cloning system, including establishing a high-efficiency transfection system for primary cells via nucleofection and optimizing homology arm (HA) length during HR. Here, we specifically inserted a recombinant human butyrylcholinesterase gene (rhBChE) into the goat fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-5 locus through the CRISPR/Cas9 system, thereby achieving simultaneous rhBChE insertion and FGF5 knock-out. First, this study introduced the Cas9, FGF5 knock-out small guide RNA, and rhBChE knock-in donors into GFFs by electroporation and obtained positive cell clones without off-target effects. Then, we demonstrated the expression of rhBChE in GFF clones and verified its function. Finally, we obtained a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated rhBChE-overexpression goat.

The use of Atlantic hagfish (Myxine glutinosa) as a bioindicator species for studies on effects of dumped chemical warfare agents in the Skagerrak. 2. Biochemical biomarkers

The sea bottom of the Skagerrak Strait (North Sea) contains munitions loaded with chemical warfare agents (CWA), mostly stored in shipwrecks scuttled intentionally after the end of the World War II. The munition shells inside the wrecks are in different states of deterioration and corrosion and their environmental risk potential is unknown. The Atlantic hagfish (Myxine glutinosa), a sediment-dwelling chordate, was used as a model organism to study the potential impact of dumped CWA on the local ecosystem by using biochemical biomarkers. The hagfish were collected in 2017 and 2018 at three sampling sites: in the immediate vicinity of a wreck with CWA in the Skagerrak, a few kilometres from the wreck, and a reference site 21 km from the wreck, considered to be free of CWA. Significant differences were observed between the wreck site and the reference sites in the activities of glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione S-transferase, while the activity levels of catalase and acetylcholinesterase were identical at all sites. The recorded differences demonstrated negative biological effects in the hagfish sampled close to the dumped chemical munitions. Due to the limited knowledge of hagfish biology and of the extent of CWA contamination in Skagerrak, the results presented here warrant more research to further elucidate the potential environmental risks of the scuttled wrecks. The usefulness of the species as a bioindicator organism is further discussed.

Planarian cholinesterase: molecular and functional characterization of an evolutionarily ancient enzyme to study organophosphorus pesticide toxicity

The asexual freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica has emerged as a medium-throughput alternative animal model for neurotoxicology. We have previously shown that D. japonica are sensitive to organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) and characterized the in vitro inhibition profile of planarian cholinesterase (DjChE) activity using irreversible and reversible inhibitors. We found that DjChE has intermediate features of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). Here, we identify two candidate genes (Djche1 and Djche2) responsible for DjChE activity. Sequence alignment and structural homology modeling with representative vertebrate AChE and BChE sequences confirmed our structural predictions, and show that both DjChE enzymes have intermediate sized catalytic gorges and disrupted peripheral binding sites. Djche1 and Djche2 were both expressed in the planarian nervous system, as anticipated from previous activity staining, but with distinct expression profiles. To dissect how DjChE inhibition affects planarian behavior, we acutely inhibited DjChE activity by exposing animals to either an OP (diazinon) or carbamate (physostigmine) at 1 µM for 4 days. Both inhibitors delayed the reaction of planarians to heat stress. Simultaneous knockdown of both Djche genes by RNAi similarly resulted in a delayed heat stress response. Furthermore, chemical inhibition of DjChE activity increased the worms' ability to adhere to a substrate. However, increased substrate adhesion was not observed in Djche1/Djche2 (RNAi) animals or in inhibitor-treated day 11 regenerates, suggesting this phenotype may be modulated by other mechanisms besides ChE inhibition. Together, our study characterizes DjChE expression and function, providing the basis for future studies in this system to dissect alternative mechanisms of OP toxicity.

Enzymatic degradation of organophosphorus insecticides decreases toxicity in planarians and enhances survival

Organophosphorus insecticides (OPs) are toxic compounds used for agricultural purposes and responsible for severe types of contamination worldwide. OPs may also induce chronic deleterious effects and developmental disruption. Finding remediation strategies is a major concern to diminish their impact on environment and human health. Enzymes have emerged as a promising eco-friendly route for decontaminating OPs. The enzyme SsoPox from the archaea Sulfolobus solfataricus has been particularly studied, considering both its tremendous stability and phosphotriesterase activity. However, the toxicity of the degradation products generated through enzyme hydrolysis has been poorly investigated. To address both neurotoxicity and developmental perturbation, freshwater planarians from Platyhelminthes were considered to evaluate the impact of OP and degradation product exposure. Planarians have a large proportion of stem cells that give them an unconventional capacity for regeneration. OPs were found to be highly toxic to planarians and enzyme decontamination drastically enhanced survival rate. Although not completely innocuous, the degradation products were found to be less toxic than insecticides and reduced poisoning effects by increasing NOEC values by up to eight-fold. SsoPox also limited detrimental consequences on planarian mobility and enabled them to recover a non-exposed type regeneration process suggesting that enzymatic decontamination is a promising alternative to bioremediation.

Planarian cholinesterase: in vitro characterization of an evolutionarily ancient enzyme to study organophosphorus pesticide toxicity and reactivation

The freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica has recently emerged as an animal model for developmental neurotoxicology and found to be sensitive to organophosphorus (OP) pesticides. While previous activity staining of D. japonica, which possess a discrete cholinergic nervous system, has shown acylthiocholine catalysis, it is unknown whether this is accomplished through an acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), or a hybrid esterase and how OP exposure affects esterase activity. Here, we show that the majority of D. japonica cholinesterase (DjChE) activity departs from conventional AChE and BChE classifications. Inhibition by classic protonable amine and quaternary reversible inhibitors (ethopropazine, donepezil, tacrine, edrophonium, BW284c51, propidium) shows that DjChE is far less sensitive to these inhibitors than human AChE, suggesting discrete differences in active center and peripheral site recognition and structures. Additionally, we find that different OPs (chlorpyrifos oxon, paraoxon, dichlorvos, diazinon oxon, malaoxon) and carbamylating agents (carbaryl, neostigmine, physostigmine, pyridostigmine) differentially inhibit DjChE activity in vitro. DjChE was most sensitive to diazinon oxon and neostigmine and least sensitive to malaoxon and carbaryl. Diazinon oxon-inhibited DjChE could be reactivated by the quaternary oxime, pralidoxime (2-PAM), and the zwitterionic oxime, RS194B, with RS194B being significantly more potent. Sodium fluoride (NaF) reactivates OP-DjChE faster than 2-PAM. As one of the most ancient true cholinesterases, DjChE provides insight into the evolution of a hybrid enzyme before the separation into distinct AChE and BChE enzymes found in higher vertebrates. The sensitivity of DjChE to OPs and capacity for reactivation validate the use of planarians for OP toxicology studies.

Molecular characterization of an acetylcholinesterase from the hemichordate Saccoglossus kowalevskii

Our goal is to understand the evolution of the structure and function of cholinesterases (ChEs) in the deuterostome lineage and in particular to understand the role of paralogous enzymes such as the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) of the vertebrates. We have, in the past, characterized ChEs in two acraniate deuterostomes: amphioxus (a cephalochordate) and Ciona intestinalis (a urochordate). Here we present results on an AChE from a basal deuterostome, a model hemichordate, the acorn worm Saccoglossus kowalevskii. Of the eight genes coding for putative ChE-like proteins possessing Trp84, a characteristic of the choline-binding catalytic subsite of ChEs, we cloned a full length cDNA with a coding sequence typical of an acraniate AChE possessing a C-terminal exon coding for a typical T-peptide. We then used in vitro expression of the cDNA in COS-7 cells to characterize the AChE kinetically, pharmacologically, and biochemically. The cDNA codes for an AChE (AChE1), which is found in monomeric (G1), dimeric (G2), and tetrameric (G4) forms; and interacts with poly-L-proline, PRiMA, and ColQ, characteristic of an AChE possessing a T-peptide. The expression of the AChE is temperature dependent, with greater expression at 30 °C. We discuss the implications of these data for the evolution of the ChEs in the deuterostomes.

Why has butyrylcholinesterase been retained? Structural and functional diversification in a duplicated gene

While acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7) has a clearly defined role in neurotransmission, the functions of its sister enzyme butyrylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8) are more obscure. Numerous mutations, many inactivating, are observed in the human butyrylcholinesterase gene, and the butyrylcholinesterase knockout mouse has an essentially normal phenotype, suggesting that the enzyme may be redundant. Yet the gene has survived for many millions of years since the duplication of an ancestral acetylcholinesterase early in vertebrate evolution. In this paper, we ask the questions: why has butyrylcholinesterase been retained, and why are inactivating mutations apparently tolerated? Butyrylcholinesterase has diverged both structurally and in terms of tissue and cellular expression patterns from acetylcholinesterase. Butyrylcholinesterase-like activity and enzymes have arisen a number of times in the animal kingdom, suggesting the usefulness of such enzymes. Analysis of the published literature suggests that butyrylcholinesterase has specific roles in detoxification as well as in neurotransmission, both in the brain, where it appears to control certain areas and functions, and in the neuromuscular junction, where its function appears to complement that of acetylcholinesterase. An analysis of the mutations in human butyrylcholinesterase and their relation to the enzyme's structure is shown. In conclusion, it appears that the structure of butyrylcholinesterase's catalytic apparatus is a compromise between the apparently conflicting selective demands of a more generalised detoxifier and the necessity for maintaining high catalytic efficiency. It is also possible that the tolerance of mutation in human butyrylcholinesterase is a consequence of the detoxification function. Butyrylcholinesterase appears to be a good example of a gene that has survived by subfunctionalisation.

A tetrameric acetylcholinesterase from the parasitic nematode Dictyocaulus viviparus associates with the vertebrate tail proteins PRiMA and ColQ

Dictyocaulus viviparus causes a serious lung disease of cattle. Similar to other parasitic nematodes, D. viviparus possesses several acetylcholinesterase (AChE) genes, one of which encodes a putative neuromuscular AChE, which contains a tryptophan (W) amphiphilic tetramerization (WAT) domain at its C-terminus. In the current study, we describe the biochemical characterization of a recombinant version of this WAT domain-containing AChE. To assess if the WAT domain is biologically functional, we investigated the association of the recombinant enzyme with the vertebrate tail proteins, proline-rich membrane anchor (PRiMA) and collagen Q (ColQ), as well as the synthetic polypeptide poly-l-proline. The results indicate that the recombinant enzyme hydrolyzes acetylthiocholine preferentially and exhibits inhibition by excess substrate, a characteristic of AChEs but not butyrylcholinesterases (BChEs). The enzyme is inhibited by the AChE inhibitor, BW284c51, but not by the BChE inhibitors, ethopropazine or iso-OMPA. The enzyme is able to assemble into monomeric (G(1)), dimeric (G(2)), and tetrameric (G(4)) globular forms and can also associate with PRiMA and ColQ, which contain proline-rich attachment domains (PRADs). This interaction is likely to be mediated via WAT-PRAD interactions, as the enzyme also assembles into tetramers with the synthetic polypeptide poly-l-proline. These interactions are typical of AChE(T) subunits. This is the first demonstration of an AChE(T) from a parasitic nematode that can assemble into heterologous forms with vertebrate proteins that anchor the enzyme in cholinergic synapses. We discuss the implications of our results for this particular host/parasite system and for the evolution of AChE.

Evolution of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase in the vertebrates: an atypical butyrylcholinesterase from the Medaka Oryzias latipes

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) are thought to be the result of a gene duplication event early in vertebrate evolution. To learn more about the evolution of these enzymes, we expressed in vitro, characterized, and modeled a recombinant cholinesterase (ChE) from a teleost, the medaka Oryzias latipes. In addition to AChE, O. latipes has a ChE that is different from either vertebrate AChE or BChE, which we are classifying as an atypical BChE, and which may resemble a transitional form between the two. Of the fourteen aromatic amino acids in the catalytic gorge of vertebrate AChE, ten are conserved in the atypical BChE of O. latipes; by contrast, only eight are conserved in vertebrate BChE. Notably, the atypical BChE has one phenylalanine in its acyl pocket, while AChE has two and BChE none. These substitutions could account for the intermediate nature of this atypical BChE. Molecular modeling supports this proposal. The atypical BChE hydrolyzes acetylthiocholine (ATCh) and propionylthiocholine (PTCh) preferentially but butyrylthiocholine (BTCh) to a considerable extent, which is different from the substrate specificity of AChE or BChE. The enzyme shows substrate inhibition with the two smaller substrates but not with the larger substrate BTCh. In comparison, AChE exhibits substrate inhibition, while BChE does not, but may instead show substrate activation. The atypical BChE from O. latipes also shows a mixed pattern of inhibition. It is effectively inhibited by physostigmine, typical of all ChEs. However, although the atypical BChE is efficiently inhibited by the BChE-specific inhibitor ethopropazine, it is not by another BChE inhibitor, iso-OMPA, nor by the AChE-specific inhibitor BW284c51. The atypical BChE is found as a glycophosphatidylinositol-anchored (GPI-anchored) amphiphilic dimer (G(2) (a)), which is unusual for any BChE. We classify the enzyme as an atypical BChE and discuss its implications for the evolution of AChE and BChE and for ecotoxicology.

Acetylcholinesterase in the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus: characterization and developmental expression in larvae

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the echinoid Lytechinus variegatus has been characterized. Kinetic parameters V(max), K(m), K(ss), and b were 2594+/-1048 nmol ATCh hydrolyzed/min/mg tissue wet weight, 185+/-11 microM, 308+/-100 mM, and 0.2, respectively for the substrate ATCh and 17.8+/-6.87 nmol BTCh hydrolyzed/min/mg tissue wet weight, 654+/-424 microM, 36+/-31 mM, and 0.6, respectively for BTCh. Pharmacologic analyses were performed with four inhibitors of cholinesterases, physostigmine, BW284c51, ethopropazine, and iso-OMPA, and yielded IC(50) values of 106+/-4 nM, 718+/-118 nM, 2.57+/-0.6 mM, and >0.0300 M, respectively. Both kinetic and pharmacologic results confirmed the existence of AChE in larval L. variegatus. Dimeric and tetrameric globular forms (determined by velocity sedimentation on sucrose gradients) were present in L. variegatus larvae. Activity of AChE increased significantly as larvae progressed in development from embryos to eight-arm larvae. Acetylcholinesterase activity of F1 larvae derived from sea urchins collected from wild populations and of F1 larvae derived from sea urchins cultured in the laboratory and fed two different diets suggest that the nutritional and/or environmental history of the adult sea urchin affect the developmental progression of AChE activity in the F1 offspring.

Functional genomics of nematode acetylcholinesterases

Acetylcholine is the major excitatory neurotransmitter controlling motor activities in nematodes, and the enzyme which hydrolyses and inactivates acetylcholine, acetylcholinesterase, is thus essential for regulation of cholinergic transmission. Different forms of acetylcholinesterase are encoded by multiple genes in nematodes, and analysis of the pattern of expression of these genes in Caenorhabditis elegans suggests that they perform non-redundant functions. In addition, many parasitic species which colonise host mucosal surfaces secrete hydrophilic variants of acetylcholinesterase, although the function of these enzymes is still unclear. Acetylcholinesterases have a history as targets for therapeutic agents against helminth parasites, but anti-cholinesterases have been used much more extensively as pesticides, for example to control crop damage and ectoparasitic infestation of livestock. The toxicity associated with these compounds (generally organophosphates and carbamates) has led to legislation to withdraw them from the market or restrict their use in many countries. Nevertheless, acetylcholinesterases provide a good example of a neuromuscular target enzyme in helminth parasites, and it may yet be possible to develop more selective inhibitors. In this article, we describe what is known about the structure and function of vertebrate cholinesterases, illustrate the molecular diversity and tissue distribution of these enzymes in C. elegans, and discuss to what extent this may represent a paradigm for nematodes in general.

Organophosphate-resistant forms of acetylcholinesterases in two scallops--the Antarctic Adamussium colbecki and the Mediterranean Pecten jacobaeus

We describe the acetylcholinesterase polymorphisms of two bivalve molluscs, Adamussium colbecki and Pecten jacobaeus. The research was aimed to point out differences in the expression of pesticide-resistant acetylcholinesterase forms in organisms living in different ecosystems such as the Ross Sea (Antarctica) and the Mediterranean Sea. In A. colbecki, distinct acetylcholinesterase molecular forms were purified and characterized from spontaneously soluble, low-salt-soluble and low-salt-Triton extracts from adductor muscle and gills. They consist of two non-amphiphilic acetylcholinesterases (G(2), G(4)) and an amphiphilic-phosphatidylinositol-membrane-anchored form (G(2)); a further amphiphilic-low-salt-soluble G(2) acetylcholinesterase was found only in adductor muscle. In the corresponding tissues of P. jacobaeus, we found a non-amphiphilic G(4) and an amphiphilic G(2) acetylcholinesterase; amphiphilic-low-salt-soluble acetylcholinesterases (G(2)) are completely lacking. Such results are related with differences in cell membrane lipid compositions. In both scallops, all non-amphiphilic AChEs are resistant to used pesticides. Differently, the adductor muscle amphiphilic forms are resistant to carbamate eserine and organophosphate diisopropylfluorophosphate, but sensitive to organophoshate azamethiphos. In the gills of P. jacobaeus, amphiphilic G(2) forms are sensitive to all three pesticides, while the corresponding forms of A. colbecki are sensitive to eserine and diisopropylfluorophosphate, but resistant to azamethiphos. Results indicate that organophosphate and/or carbamate resistant AChE forms are present in species living in far different and far away environments. The possibility that these AChE forms could have ensued from a common origin and have been spread globally by migration is discussed.

Amino acids defining the acyl pocket of an invertebrate cholinesterase

Amphioxus (Branchiostoma floridae) cholinesterase 2 (ChE2) hydrolyzes acetylthiocholine (AsCh) almost exclusively. We constructed a homology model of ChE2 on the basis of Torpedo californica acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and found that the acyl pocket of the enzyme resembles that of Drosophila melanogaster AChE, which is proposed to be comprised of Phe330 (Phe290 in T. californica AChE) and Phe440 (Val400), rather than Leu328 (Phe288) and Phe330 (Phe290), as in vertebrate AChE. In ChE2, the homologous amino acids are Phe312 (Phe290) and Phe422 (Val400). To determine if these amino acids define the acyl pocket of ChE2 and its substrate specificity, and to obtain information about the hydrophobic subsite, partially comprised of Tyr352 (Phe330) and Phe353 (Phe331), we performed site-directed mutagenesis and in vitro expression. The aliphatic substitution mutant F312I ChE2 hydrolyzes AsCh preferentially but also butyrylthiocholine (BsCh), and the change in substrate specificity is due primarily to an increase in k(cat) for BsCh; K(m) and K(ss) are also altered. F422L and F422V produce enzymes that hydrolyze BsCh and AsCh equally due to an increase in k(cat) for BsCh and a decrease in k(cat) for AsCh. Our data suggest that Phe312 and Phe422 define the acyl pocket. We also screened mutants for changes in sensitivity to various inhibitors. Y352A increases the sensitivity of ChE2 to the bulky inhibitor ethopropazine. Y352A decreases inhibition by BW284c51, consistent with its role as part of the choline-binding site. Aliphatic replacement mutations produce enzymes that are more sensitive to inhibition by iso-OMPA, presumably by increasing access to the active site serine. Y352A, F353A and F353V make ChE2 considerably more resistant to inhibition by eserine and neostigmine, suggesting that binding of these aromatic inhibitors is mediated by pi-pi or cation-pi interactions at the hydrophobic site. Our results also provide information about the aromatic trapping of the active site histidine and the inactivation of ChE2 by sulfhydryl reagents.

Two cholinesterase activities and genes are present in amphioxus

To obtain information about the evolution of the cholinesterases, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) in the vertebrates, we investigated the cholinesterase (ChE) activity of the cephalochordate amphioxus (Branchiostoma floridae and Branchiostoma lanceolatum). On the basis of evidence from enzymology, pharmacology, and molecular biology, we conclude that amphioxus possesses two ChE activities and two ChE genes. Two covalent inhibitors of cholinesterases were able to pharmacologically isolate the two activities as drug-sensitive ChE and drug-resistant ChE. Kinetically, in terms of substrate specificity, the drug-sensitive ChE resembles vertebrate AChE, and the drug-resistant ChE resembles the BuChE of cartilaginous and bony fish or the intermediate ChE of protostome invertebrates. We also used the polymerase chain reaction with degenerate oligonucleotide primers and genomic DNA to obtain clones of 1,574 and 1,011 bp corresponding to two cholinesterase genes from amphioxus, which we designated as ChE1 and ChE2. ChE2 codes for an enzyme with an acyl-binding pocket sequence, a portion of the protein that plays an important role in determining substrate specificity, typical of invertebrate ChE. ChE1, which contains a 503-bp intron, encodes a protein with a novel acyl binding site. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences suggests that the two genes are a result of a duplication event in the lineage leading to amphioxus. We discuss the relevance of our results to the evolution of the cholinesterases in the chordates. Previously, we reported that amphioxus contained a single cholinesterase activity with properties intermediate to AChE and BuChE (Pezzementi et al. [1991] In: Cholinesterases: Structure, Function, Mechanism, Genetics and Cell Biology. J. Massoulié et al., eds. ACS: Washington, D.C., pp. 24-31).