Acetylcholinesterase exhibits trypsin-like and metalloexopeptidase-like activity in cleaving a model peptide

Action of 24-epibrassinolide on a cell line of the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua

The Spodoptera exigua cell line Se4 is sensitive for ecdysteroid activity stimulated by the insect molting hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), showing a cease in cell proliferation (with 50% inhibition around 1 microM) and characteristic cell morphology changes with aggregation and formation of long filamentous cytoplasmic extensions. The bisacylhydrazine tebufenozide also triggered such typical cellular effects in Se4, and in addition, it showed an affinity for binding in competition with 3H-ponasterone A (PoA) that was similar to 20E (with 50% competition around 1 microM), confirming that such non-ecdysteroids display an ecdysteroid agonist activity. In contrast, when Se4 cells were incubated with the native plant hormone 24-epibrassinolide (24BR), none of the effects triggered by 20E were observed. Hence, a competition binding experiment with 3H-PoA demonstrated no affinity of 24BR for binding to the ecdysteroid receptor in the Se4 cell line. In another series of experiments, the Se4 cell line was tested in sensitivity response to increased acetylcholinesterase (AchE) activity after treatment with ecdysteroid active compounds. The AchE activity measured in the cell line is discussed in relation to inhibition by eserine. The obtained results suggest that 24BR exerted no ecdysteroid activity.

New approaches to the treatment of pemphigus

In pemphigus vulgaris, treatment with systemic glucocorticosteroids is life saving; it may, however, cause severe side effects, including death. A patient with pemphigus vulgaris and myasthenia gravis was treated for approximately five years with the cholinomimetic Mestinon (pyridostigmine bromide), Imuran (azathioprine), and a topical corticosteroid gel before the need to introduce systemic glucocorticosteroids. Because activation of keratinocyte acetylcholine receptors also has been shown to abolish pemphigus IgG-induced acantholysis in cultured keratinocyte monolayers, a clinical trial of Mestinon was initiated in patients with active pemphigus vulgaris, pemphigus foliaceus, and paraneoplastic autoimmune multiorgan syndrome (also known as paraneoplastic pemphigus). First results indicate that nonsteroidal treatment of pemphigus is possible. Mestinon may be used to slow down progression of the disease and to treat mild cases with chronic lesions on limited areas. Stimulation of the keratinocyte- acetylcholine axis may lead to a therapeutic effect through any of the following mechanisms: (1) stimulating keratinocyte cell-to-cell attachment; (2) accelerating reepithelialization; and (3) competing with the disease-causing pemphigus antibodies, preventing them from attachment to keratinocytes. Glucocorticosteroids and various types of steroid-sparing drugs used to treat pemphigus exhibit cholinergic side effects, including effects on expression and function of keratinocyte adhesion molecules, that are very similar to those produced by the cholinomimetic drugs. Further elucidation of the mechanisms underlying therapeutic efficacy of antiacantholytics may shed light on the immunopharmacological mechanisms of pemphigus antibody-induced acantholysis.

Butyrylcholinesterase-Mediated enhancement of the enzymatic activity of trypsin

1. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE, EC 3.1.1.7) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE, EC 3.1.1.8) are enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of esters of choline. 2. Both AChE and BuChE have been shown to copurify with peptidases. 3. BuChE has also been shown to copurify with other proteins such as transferrin, with which it forms a stable complex. In addition, BuChE is found in association with beta-amyloid protein in Alzheimer brain tissues. 4. Since BuChE copurifies with peptidases, we hypothesized that BuChE interacts with these enzymes and that this association had an influence on their catalytic activities. One of the peptidases that copurifies with cholinesterases has specificity similar to trypsin, hence, this enzyme was used as a model to test this hypothesis. 5. Purified BuChE causes a concentration-dependent enhancement of the catalytic activity of trypsin while trypsin does not influence the catalytic activity of BuChE. 6. We suggest that, in addition to its esterase activity, BuChE may assume a regulatory role by interacting with other proteins.

Infracortical interstitial cells concurrently expressing m2-muscarinic receptors, acetylcholinesterase and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase in the human and monkey cerebral cortex

Intense immunoreactivity for the m2-muscarinic receptor was found in a population of interstitial polymorphic neurons embedded within the infracortical white matter and the adjacent deep layers of the cerebral cortex. These infracortical neurons were evenly distributed throughout architectonic subdivisions of the monkey cortex except for parts of primary visual cortex where they were less numerous. A similar set of m2-immunoreactive interstitial cells was also detected in the human lateral temporal neocortex obtained at surgery. Upon electron microscopic examination, they were found to receive unlabelled synaptic inputs and displayed abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum, a prominent nucleolus, and invaginations of the nuclear membrane. Double labelling of m2 immunoreactivity and acetylcholinesterase histochemistry demonstrated that approximately 90% of the m2-positive infracortical cells were acetylcholinesterase-rich in the monkey and human brains. Conversely, the proportion of acetylcholinesterase-rich infracortical neurons that were m2-immunoreactive was over 90% in the monkey and at least 50% in the human. The concurrent visualization of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d) enzyme activity with m2 immunoreactivity in the monkey and human brain showed that 85-95% of m2-immunoreactive infracortical cells were NADPH-d positive. Conversely, about 70% of NADPH-d cells contained m2 immunoreactivity. These observations provide the most convincing information to date that many of the acetylcholinesterase-rich neurons located in the infracortical white matter of the cerebral cortex are likely to be cholinoceptive. The expression of NADPH-d by these neurons suggests that they may also provide a relay through which cholinergic innervation, originating predominantly from the nucleus basalis of Meynert, could regulate the release of nitric oxide in the cerebral cortex and subjacent white matter. The degeneration of these neurons may account for at least some of the depletion of m2 receptors that has been reported in Alzheimer's disease.

Non-classical actions of cholinesterases: role in cellular differentiation, tumorigenesis and Alzheimer's disease

The cholinesterases are members of the serine hydrolase family, which utilize a serine residue at the active site. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is distinguished from butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) by its greater specificity for hydrolysing acetylcholine. The function of AChE at cholinergic synapses is to terminate cholinergic neurotransmission. However, AChE is expressed in tissues that are not directly innervated by cholinergic nerves. AChE and BChE are found in several types of haematopoietic cells. Transient expression of AChE in the brain during embryogenesis suggests that AChE may function in the regulation of neurite outgrowth. Overexpression of cholinesterases has also been correlated with tumorigenesis and abnormal megakaryocytopoiesis. Acetylcholine has been shown to influence cell proliferation and neurite outgrowth through nicotinic and muscarinic receptor-mediated mechanisms and thus, that the expression of AChE and BChE at non-synaptic sites may be associated with a cholinergic function. However, structural homologies between cholinesterases and adhesion proteins indicate that cholinesterases could also function as cell-cell or cell-substrate adhesion molecules. Abnormal expression of AChE and BChE has been detected around the amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. The function of the cholinesterases in these regions of the Alzheimer brain is unknown, but this function is probably unrelated to cholinergic neurotransmission. The presence of abnormal cholinesterase expression in the Alzheimer brain has implications for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and for therapeutic strategies using cholinesterase inhibitors.

Cholinesterases colocalize with sites of neurofibrillary degeneration in aged and Alzheimer's brains

Acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase have been associated with structures undergoing neurofibrillary degeneration, as well as with all types of senile plaques, in non-demented aged and Alzheimer's brains. At the electron microscope level, the reaction product of both enzymes, appeared to decorate paired helical filaments, straight filaments and beta A4 amyloid fibrils. Recent studies showed that cholinesterases were associated with amyloid at early stages, e.g., in diffuse plaques. In the present study, the interrelationship of cholinesterases to structures undergoing neurofibrillary degeneration was analyzed further. Tau immunoreactivity was compared to the staining pattern observed with the two esterases. Double protocols consecutively performed on the same sections, and counterstaining with thioflavin-S, confirmed the presence of cholinesterases in all structures with neurofibrillary degeneration. The conclusion that cholinesterases consistently colocalize with both neurofibrillary bundles and beta A4 amyloid fibrils at all stages of their accumulation, allows us to speculate on the possible role that these enzymes may play in either the formation or the consolidation of fibrillary aggregates.

Chemoarchitectonics of axonal and perikaryal acetylcholinesterase along information processing systems of the human cerebral cortex

The distribution of axonal and perikaryal acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was studied in whole-brain sections. All cytoarchitectonic sectors and cortical layers of the human cerebral cortex contained AChE-rich axons. These axons displayed multiple varicosities which appeared to come in contact with AChE-rich and AChE-poor cortical perikarya. The upper layers of cortex tended to contain the highest density of AChE-rich axons. The AChE-rich axons were more dense in limbic-paralimbic areas of cortex than in primary sensory-motor and association areas. Within unimodal sensory association areas, the parasensory (upstream) sectors had a slightly lesser density of AChE-rich axons than the downstream sectors. Within paralimbic areas, the nonisocortical sectors displayed a distinctly higher density of AChE-rich axons than the more differentiated isocortical sectors. These observations indicate that the distribution of AChE-rich axons displays orderly variations that obey the organization of information processing systems in the cerebral cortex.

Expression of acetylcholinesterase messenger RNA in human brain: an in situ hybridization study

The distribution of messenger RNA coding for acetylcholinesterase was studied in human post mortem brain and rhesus monkey by in situ hybridization histochemistry and compared to the distribution of acetylcholinesterase activity. Acetylcholinesterase messenger RNA had--similar to acetylcholinesterase enzymatic activity--a widespread distribution in human bain. Acetylcholinesterase messenger RNA positive cells corresponded to perikarya rich in acetylcholinesterase activity in most but not all regions. Examples for mismatches included the inferior olive and human cerebellar cortex. The presence of hybridization signals in cerebral cortex and an enrichment in layer III and V of most isocortical areas confirmed that perikaryal acetylcholinesterase in cerebral cortex is of postsynaptic origin and not derived from cholinergic projections. In striatum the expression of high levels of acetylcholinesterase messenger RNA was restricted to a small population of large striatal neurons. In addition, low levels of expression were found in most medium sized striatal neurons. Cholinergic neurons tended to express high levels of acetylcholinesterase messenger RNA whereas in cholinoceptive neurons the levels were moderate to low. However, some noncholinergic neurons like dopaminergic cells in substantia nigra, noradrenergic cells in locus coeruleus, serotoninergic cells in raphé dorsalis, GABAergic cells in thalamic reticular nucleus, granular cells in cerebellar cortex and pontine relay neurons expressed levels comparable to cholinergic neurons in basal forebrain. It is suggested that neurons expressing high levels of acetylcholinesterase messenger RNA may synthesize acetylcholinesterase for axonal transport whereas neurons with an expression of acetylcholinesterase confined to somatodendritic regions tend to contain lower levels of acetylcholinesterase messenger RNA.

Protease inhibitors and indolamines selectively inhibit cholinesterases in the histopathologic structures of Alzheimer's disease

Neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques express acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity in Alzheimer's disease. We had found that traditional AChE inhibitors such as BW284C51, tacrine and physostigmine were more potent inhibitors of the AChE in normal axons and cell bodies than of the AChE in plaques and tangles. We now report that the reverse pattern is seen with indolamines, carboxypeptidase inhibitor, and the nonspecific protease inhibitor bacitracin. These substances are more potent inhibitors of the cholinesterases in plaques and tangles than of those in normal axons and cell bodies. These results show that the enzymatic properties of plaque and tangle-associated cholinesterases diverge from those of normal axons and cell bodies. The selective susceptibility to bacitracin and carboxypeptidase inhibitor indicates that the catalytic sites of plaque and tangle-bound cholinesterases are more closely associated with peptidase or protease-like properties than the catalytic sites of cholinesterases in normal neurons and axons. This shift in enzymatic affinity may lead to the abnormal protein processing which is thought to play a major role in the pathogenesis of AD. The availability of pharmacological and dietary means for altering brain indolamines raises novel therapeutic possibilities for inhibiting the abnormal cholinesterase activity associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Neurological cholinesterases in the normal brain and in Alzheimer's disease: relationship to plaques, tangles, and patterns of selective vulnerability

Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and an altered form of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) accumulate in the plaques and tangles of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The sources for these plaque- and tangle-bound cholinesterases have not been identified. We now report that AChE and BChE activities with pH preferences and inhibitor selectivities identical to those of plaque- and tangle-bound cholinesterases are found in the astrocytes and oligodendrocytes of control and AD brains. These glial-type cholinesterases are selectively inhibited by indolamines and protease inhibitors. In control brains glial-type cholinesterases appear confined to the intracellular space, whereas in patients with AD they decorate plaques and tangles as well. In control and AD brains AChE-positive glia are distributed throughout the cortical layers and subcortical white matter, whereas BChE-positive glia reach high densities only in the deep cortical layers and white matter. In non-AD control brains, the ratio of BChE to AChE glia was higher in entorhinal and inferotemporal cortex, two regions with a high susceptibility to the pathology of AD, than in primary somatosensory and visual cortex, two areas with a relatively lower susceptibility to the disease process. There was no age-related differences in the density or distribution of cholinesterase-positive glia. In comparison with age-matched control specimens, AD brains had a significantly higher density of BChE glia and a lower density of AChE glia in entorhinal and inferotemporal regions but not in the primary somatosensory or visual areas. These results suggest that glia constitute a likely source for the cholinesterase activity of plaques and tangles and that a high ratio of BChE- to AChE-positive glia may play a permissive or causative role in the neuropathology of AD.

Proteolysis at the secretase and amyloidogenic cleavage sites of the beta-amyloid precursor protein by acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase using model peptide substrates

1. It was recently proposed that acetylcholinesterase (AChE), in addition to its esteratic activity, has proteolytic activity such that it may cleave the beta-amyloid precursor (beta-APP) within the beta-amyloid sequence. The purpose of this paper was to examine further whether AChE or butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) had associated proteinase activity that was involved in the metabolism of beta-APP. 2. The ability of various preparations of AChE and BuChE to hydrolyze two synthetic fragments of beta-APP695 as model substrates containing the normal and aberrant cleavage sites was studied. 3. Digestion of these synthetic substrates with commercial preparations of Electrophorus electricus AChE indicated the presence of a trypsin-like proteolytic activity cleaving each peptide at the carboxy-terminal side of an internal lysine residue. 4. Purification of the trypsin-like proteinase activity by aminobenzamidine affinity chromatography yielded a preparation that was devoid of AChE activity but retained all of the proteinase activity. 5. Amino-terminal sequence analysis of this preparation showed that the first 13 amino acid residues were identical to beta-pancreatic trypsin. 6. These data indicate that the proteinase activity found in these commercial preparations of AChE is due to contamination with trypsin.

A protease is recovered with a dimeric form of acetylcholinesterase in fetal bovine serum

A protease activity which co-purified with affinity-purified fetal bovine serum acetylcholinesterase (AChE) has been shown to release the amyloid protein precursor (APP) of Alzheimer's disease from cell membranes. The nature of this protease and its relationship to AChE have not been established. In this study, the protease activity was found to be recovered with a minor dimeric form of AChE. This minor form (AChEII) was distinguished from the more abundant tetrameric form (AChEI) by a higher catalytic subunit relative molecular mass (M(r)) of 80,000 (80K), and by a lower affinity for edrophonium-Sepharose. The difference in subunit M(r) was due to differing degrees of glycosylation, as deglycosylation of both AChEI and AChEII gave rise to a similar subunit M(r) of 62K. The protease activity recovered with AChEII was not an intrinsic property of the esterase, as it was separated from the esterase by anion-exchange chromatography, and by immunoprecipitation with anti-AChE antibodies. AChEI possessed a similar subunit M(r) to the tetrameric form of AChE secreted from the bovine adrenal gland, while AChEII possessed a similar subunit molecular weight to the dimeric membrane-bound form of bovine erythrocyte AChE. Thus, it is possible that AChEII may be a solubilised form of a dimeric glycosylphosphatidyl inositol-linked AChE.

The peptidase activity of human serum butyrylcholinesterase: studies using monoclonal antibodies and characterization of the peptidase

Purified human serum butyrylcholinesterase, which exhibits cholinesterase, aryl acylamidase, and peptidase activities, was cross-reacted with two different monoclonal antibodies raised against human serum butyrylcholinesterase. All three activities were immunoprecipitable at different dilutions of the two monoclonal antibodies. At the highest concentration of the antibodies used, nearly 100% of all three activities were precipitated, and could be recovered to 90-95% in the immunoprecipitate. The peptidase activity exhibited by the purified butyrylcholinesterase was further characterized using both Phe-Leu and Leu-enkephalin as substrates. The pH optimum of the peptidase was in the range of 7.5-9.5 and the divalent cations Co2+, Mn2+, and Zn2+ stimulated its activity. EDTA and other metal complexing agents inhibited its activity. Thiol agents and -SH group modifiers had no effect. The serine protease inhibitors, diisopropylfluorophosphate and phenyl methyl sulfonyl fluoride, did not inhibit. When histidine residues in the enzyme were modified by diethylpyrocarbonate, the peptidase activity was not affected, but the stimulatory effect of Co2+, Mn2+, and Zn2+ disappeared, suggesting the involvement of histidine residues in metal ion binding. These general characteristics of the peptidase activity were also exhibited by a 50 kD fragment obtained by limited alpha-chymotrypsin digestion of purified butyrylcholinesterase. Under all assay conditions, the peptidase released the two amino acids, leucine and phenylalanine, from the carboxy terminus of Leu-enkephalin as verified by paper chromatography and HPLC analysis. The results suggested that the peptidase behaved like a serine, cysteine, thiol-independent metallopeptidase.

Protease inhibitors and indoleamines selectively inhibit cholinesterases in the histopathologic structures of Alzheimer disease

Neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques express acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase activity in Alzheimer disease. We previously reported that traditional acetylcholinesterase inhibitors such as BW284C51, tacrine, and physostigmine were more potent inhibitors of the acetylcholinesterase in normal axons and cell bodies than of the acetylcholinesterase in plaques and tangles. We now report that the reverse pattern is seen with indoleamines (such as serotonin and its precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan), carboxypeptidase inhibitor, and the nonspecific protease inhibitor bacitracin. These substances are more potent inhibitors of the cholinesterases in plaques and tangles than of those in normal axons and cell bodies. These results show that the enzymatic properties of plaque and tangle-associated cholinesterases diverge from those of normal axons and cell bodies. The selective susceptibility to bacitracin and carboxypeptidase inhibitor indicates that the catalytic sites of plaque and tangle-bound cholinesterases are more closely associated with peptidase or protease-like properties than the catalytic sites of cholinesterases in normal axons and cell bodies. This shift in enzymatic affinity may lead to the abnormal protein processing that is thought to play a major role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease. The availability of pharmacological and dietary means for altering brain indoleamines raises therapeutic possibilities for inhibiting the abnormal cholinesterase activity associated with Alzheimer disease.

Colocalization of cholinesterases with beta amyloid protein in aged and Alzheimer's brains

The colocalization of beta amyloid protein with the enzymes acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase was assessed using immunocytochemistry for beta amyloid protein and a sensitive histochemical technique for cholinesterases. In non-demented aged and Alzheimer's disease brains, double-stained sections for cholinesterases and thioflavin-S showed that all thioflavin-S-positive plaques were also positive for cholinesterases, indicating the presence of these enzymes in all plaques with beta-pleated amyloid protein. When amyloid angiopathy was present, cholinesterases were also observed in amyloid-laden vessels walls. Comparison of series of adjacent sections alternatively stained for acetylcholinesterase, beta amyloid protein and butyrylcholinesterase, as well as by double histo-immunocytochemical staining, showed either cholinesterase in a proportion of the preamyloid diffuse plaques. These data indicate that cholinesterases are associated with the amyloid protein from very early stages, when the beta-pleated structure is being formed. Novel functions attributed to acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase, such us their proteolytic activity either by themselves or in association with heparan sulfate proteoglycans, may play a role in the aggregation or the consolidation processes taking place at the early stages of diffuse plaque formation.

Brain and cerebrospinal fluid cholinesterases in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and aging. A critical review of clinical and experimental studies

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme responsible for the break-down of acetylcholine, is found both in cholinergic and non-cholinergic neurons in the central nervous system. In addition to its role in the catabolism of acetylcholine, AChE have other functions in brain, e.g. in the processing of peptides and proteins, and in the modulation of dopaminergic neurons in the brain stem. Several clinical and experimental studies have investigated AChE in brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in aging and dementia. The results suggest that brain AChE and its molecular forms show interesting changes in dementia and aging. However, CSF-AChE activity is not a very reliable or sensitive marker of the integrity and function of cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain complex. Additional work is needed to clarify the role of AChE abnormality in the formation of pathology changes in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Cholinesterase histochemistry in the human brain: effect of various fixation and storage conditions

Human brains fixed in 3 conventional solutions were used to compare acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase labeling after being processed by the same histochemical procedure. The best fixative was found to be 4% paraformaldehyde in a 0.1 M phosphate buffer for 24-42 h. The addition of 2% glutaraldehyde to 2% paraformaldehyde for the same fixation time reduced the staining intensity of both enzymes. Formalin after 2 days resulted in a lighter staining intensity of fibers, senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, whereas after 10 days it caused the near disappearance of acetylcholinesterase-positive fibers. Finally, after more than 10 days in formalin, a certain number of senile plaques and a few neurofibrillary tangles could be observed, and those only in the case in which the substrate concentration and incubation time were increased. The fixed tissue, in either blocks or sections, can be stored for more than 1 year in a glycol solution at -17 degrees C, without the inconvenience of freezing, with good histology and histochemical preservation of both enzymes.

Cholinesterases in the amyloid angiopathy of Alzheimer's disease

Vessels affected by amyloid angiopathy in patients with Alzheimer's disease also displayed intense acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase activity when examined by light and electron microscopy. The enzymatic properties of the vessel-bound cholinesterases were identical to those of the cholinesterases associated with senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. This cholinesterase activity is of unknown origin but represents one of the very few features common to all the major pathological markers of Alzheimer's disease.

Hydrolysis of substance P in the rabbit retina: II. The role of a membrane-associated acetylcholine-sensitive metalloendopeptidase. An in vitro study

Studies in the rabbit retina have shown that infusion of exogenous acetylcholine (ACh) into the vitreal chamber leads to an increase in the amount of substance P (SP) immunoreactivity (Goebel and Pourcho, submitted). This increase was determined to be independent of new peptide synthesis, suggesting that the elevated level of SP is the result of ACh inhibition of an SP-degrading protease. This phenomenon has now been confirmed in vitro in both tissue slice and retinal homogenate assays. These studies have shown that ACh decreases the rate of SP hydrolysis in a concentration dependent manner. Recovery of SP hydrolytic activity following ACh inhibition was found to be directly proportional to the amount of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in the membrane fraction. Specific protease inhibitors were used to determine the relative contributions of membrane associated retinal enzymes to SP-hydrolysis. In the presence of 1 mM 1,10-phenanthroline or p-chloromercuribenzenesulfonic acid all SP-hydrolytic activity was abolished, indicating that the enzyme(s) responsible for the degradation of the peptide is a metallopeptidase. The ACh sensitive retinal enzyme was found to be concentrated in the membrane fraction where it accounts for approximately 70% of the SP hydrolytic activity. Although the precise identity of this enzyme remains to be determined, the present evidence indicates that it shares many of the characteristics of the enzyme substance P-degrading endopeptidase (Endo et al. 1988, 1989). Enkephalinase activity was also found, contributing to 28% of the hydrolytic activity in the membrane fraction. However, the activity of this enzyme was insensitive to elevated levels of ACh. After initial cleavage of SP by the primary hydrolytic enzymes, further degradation of the fragments appears to be carried out by membrane associated serine protease(s). The activity exhibited by this class of enzymes was inhibited by DFP treatment and was not sensitive to ACh. Although AChE does not make a major contribution to the hydrolysis of SP, it does participate in peptide degradation via its esterase activity which controls the level of ACh, thereby modulating the primary SP-hydrolytic enzyme.

Hydrolysis of substance P in the rabbit retina: I. Involvement of acetylcholine and acetylcholinesterase. An in vivo study

The laminar patterns of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and substance P (SP) immunoreactivity within the inner plexiform layer (IPL) of the rabbit retina show striking similarities. Discrete bands of SP-immunoreactivity were seen at 1-7%, 40-48% and 85-95% depth of IPL. AChE activity was present throughout the entire thickness of the IPL with moderately stained bands in each sublamina (3-24% in sublamina a and 62-89% in sublamina b depth IPL). These bands were bordered on both sides by bands of even greater density (in sublamina a 0-3% and 24-34% and in sublamina b 55-62% and 89-100% depth IPL). Cell processes staining for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) have previously been shown to ramify at 19-24% and 63-79% depth levels. Thus, SP- and ChAT-immunoreactive bands are located in both sublaminae, positioned within regions of moderate AChE activity and flanked by bands with greater AChE activity. This strong morphological correspondence and reported interactions between acetylcholine (ACh), AChE and SP in vitro provide the basis for the present study to determine whether such interactions can be demonstrated in vivo. Retinas infused with ACh showed a 60% average increase in SP-IR as compared with untreated retinas from the same animals. Treatment with diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) also resulted in a 56% increase in SP-IR. The ability of ACh to induce increased levels of SP was not inhibited by CoCl2, atropine or mecamylamine, ruling out the possibilities of polysynaptic transmission or involvement of muscarinic or nicotinic receptors. Infusion of ACh did not increase the levels of preprotachykinin-mRNA indicating that the increase in SP-IR is not due to de novo synthesis but rather to inhibition of the enzyme(s) responsible for SP degradation. Whether AChE functions alone or in concert with other enzymes to hydrolyze SP cannot be determined from these experiments but is addressed in a separate study.

Identification of the trypsin-like activity in commercial preparations of eel acetylcholinesterase

Electricus electrophorus acetylcholinesterase (AChE, EC 3.1.1.7) is reported to possess a trypsin-like activity. We found that purification of AChE removes over 99% of this protease activity, which resides in a single 25 kDa protein with an N-terminal sequence identical to bovine pancreatic trypsin. Digests of neuropeptides using purified eel AChE or bovine pancreatic trypsin gave identical peptide maps. These results indicate that the commercial preparation of eel AChE is contaminated by a trypsin, which is difficult to remove completely during AChE purification.

A protease activity associated with acetylcholinesterase releases the membrane-bound form of the amyloid protein precursor of Alzheimer's disease

Amyloid deposits in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) contain a protein (beta A4) which is abnormally cleaved from a larger transmembrane precursor protein (APP). APP is believed to be normally released from membranes by the action of a protease referred to as APP secretase. Amyloid deposits have also been shown to contain the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE). In this study, a protease activity associated with AChE was found to possess APP secretase activity, stimulating the release of a soluble 100K form of APP from HeLa cells transfected with an APP cDNA. The AChE-associated protease was strongly and specifically inhibited by soluble APP (10 nM) isolated from human brain. The AChE-associated protease cleaved a synthetic beta A4 peptide at the predicted cleavage site. As AChE is decreased in AD, a deficiency of its associated protease might explain why APP is abnormally processed in AD.

Acetylcholinesterase from Schistosoma mansoni: immunological characterization

The enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is present in the trematode Schistosoma mansoni, which infects humans and causes a severe disease called schistosomiasis or Bilharzia. We have purified this enzyme and raised polyclonal antibodies against it. The specificity of these antibodies against the schistosome enzyme was demonstrated by their capacity to precipitate exclusively AChE activity from cercariae extract and to recognize the 8S molecular form of the parasite's AChE. On the other hand, they did not cross-react at all with AChE from human erythrocytes. By employing immunogold electron microscopy, AChE was located on the surface, in the membranal bodies of the tegument and in the muscles of schistosomula. The antibodies raised against the purified AChE of S. mansoni are of protective value, as they led to efficient complement-mediated killing of schistosomula in vitro. It was also demonstrated that antibodies specific towards S. mansoni AChE are present in the sera of mice and of human patients infected with the parasite, suggesting that this enzyme partakes in the immune response towards the parasite during infection. These cumulative data, particularly the schistosomicidal activity of the antibodies and their lack of cross-reactivity with human AChE, are of significance in the consideration of the S. mansoni AChE for vaccination purposes.

Acetylcholinesterase-rich neurons of the human cerebral cortex: cytoarchitectonic and ontogenetic patterns of distribution

Layers 3 and 5 of the adult human cerebral cortex contain a very large number of pyramidal neurons that express intense acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzymatic activity and AChE-like immunoreactivity. The density of these neurons is high in motor, premotor, and neocortical association areas but quite low in paralimbic cortex. These AChE-rich neurons are located predominantly within layer 3 in the premotor and association cortex, within layer 5 in the non-isocortical components of the paralimbic cortex, and are equally prominent in layers 3 and 5 in the motor cortex. Almost all Betz cells in the motor cortex and up to 80% of layer 3 pyramidal neurons in some parts of the association neocortex yield an AChE-rich staining pattern. The existence of a specific laminar and cytoarchitectonic distribution suggests that the AChE-rich enzymatic pattern of these neurons is selectively regulated. The AChE-rich enzymatic reactivity of the layer 3 and layer 5 neurons is not detectable during early childhood, becomes fully established during adulthood, and does not show signs of decline during advanced senescence in mentally intact individuals. The AChE activity (or enzyme synthesis) in these neurons is therefore held in check for several years during infancy and childhood and begins to be expressed at a time when the more advanced motor and cognitive skills are also being acquired. The absence of immunostaining with an antibody to choline acetyltransferase suggests that these AChE-rich neurons are not cholinergic. The regional distribution of these AChE-rich neurons does not parallel the regional variations of cortical cholinergic innervation. Whereas the AChE-rich pyramidal neurons of layers 3 and 5 almost certainly represent one subgroup of cholinoceptive cortical neurons, their AChE-rich enzymatic pattern is probably also related to a host of non-cholinergic processes that may include maturational changes and plasticity in the adult brain.

Electron microscopic localization of cholinesterase activity in Alzheimer brain tissue

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity was localized by electron microscopic enzyme cytochemistry in cortex from Alzheimer brains and brains from non-demented cases. In the tangle-rich medial temporal cortex of the Alzheimer brain, most of the neuronal AChE was associated with neurofibrillary tangles. These structures also contained BChE activity. In normal neurons AChE activity was found in the rough endoplasmic reticulum, nuclear envelope and Golgi apparatus. Little BChE activity was noted in normal cortex. In neuritic plaques, AChE and BChE activity was associated mostly with the amyloid, but also with the neuritic component.

Monoclonal antibodies allow precipitation of esterasic but not peptidasic activities associated with butyrylcholinesterase

Commercially available and affinity-purified butyrylcholinesterases isolated from human serum were examined for their esterasic activity and their ability to hydrolyze various neuropeptides, including neurotensin, substance P, and leucine-enkephalin. The three pools that displayed the lowest esterasic activities were shown to hydrolyze neurotensin with the same HPLC degradative pattern. By contrast, noticeable qualitative and quantitative discrepancies were observed when hydrolyses of substance P and leucine-enkephalin by these three butyrylcholinesterase pools were studied. The pool that exhibited the highest esterasic activity appeared to be homogeneously constituted by 90- and 180-kDa protein bands by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis and was totally unable to hydrolyze these three neuropeptides. This suggested that the three other butyrylcholinesterase preparations could be contaminated by exogenous peptidases. This was confirmed by means of three distinct monoclonal antibodies directed toward human serum butyrylcholinesterase. The three IgG-purified fractions precipitated the esterasic activity, whereas they failed to precipitate the neuropeptide-hydrolyzing activities whatever the substrate examined. Altogether, these results demonstrate that peptidases associated with butyrylcholinesterase are contaminating enzymes that cannot be considered as intrinsic activities of this enzyme.

Non-cholinergic actions of acetylcholinesterases: proteases regulating cell growth and development?

The enzyme acetylcholinesterase has a well-established function in limiting the duration of acetylcholine's action at cholinergic synapses. Until recently, the function of this enzyme in non-cholinergic tissues has been a mystery. Recent evidence suggests that some forms of acetylcholinesterase act as proteases to regulate cell growth and development.

Subcellular distribution of acetylcholinesterase forms in chromaffin cells. Do chromaffin granules contain a specific secretory acetylcholinesterase?

The presence of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in chromaffin granules has been controversial for a long time. We therefore undertook a study of AChE molecular forms in chromaffin cells and of their distribution during subcellular fractionation. We characterized four main AChE forms, three amphiphilic forms (Ga1, Ga2 and Ga4), and one non-amphiphilic form (Gna4). Each form shows the same molecular characteristics (sedimentation, electrophoretic migration, lectin interactions) in the different subcellular fractions. All forms are glycosylated and seem to possess both N-linked and O-linked carbohydrate chains. There are differences in the structure of the glycans carried by the different forms, as indicated by their interaction with some lectins. Glycophosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipases C converted the Ga2 form, but not the other amphiphilic forms, into non-amphiphilic derivatives. The distinct patterns of AChE molecular forms observed in various subcellular compartments indicate the existence of an active sorting process. Gna4 was concentrated in fractions of high density, containing chromaffin granules. We obtained evidence for the existence of a lighter fraction also containing chromogranin A, tetrabenazine-binding sites and Gna4 AChE, which may correspond to immature, incompletely loaded granules or to partially emptied granules. The distribution of Gna4 during subcellular fractionation suggested that this form is largely, but not exclusively, contained in chromaffin granules, the membranes of which may contain low levels of the three amphiphilic forms.

Genetic variants of human serum cholinesterase influence metabolism of the muscle relaxant succinylcholine

People with genetic variants of cholinesterase respond abnormally to succinylcholine, experiencing substantial prolongation of muscle paralysis with apnea rather than the usual 2-6 min. The structure of usual cholinesterase has been determined including the complete amino acid and nucleotide sequence. This has allowed identification of altered amino acids and nucleotides. The variant most frequently found in patients who respond abnormally to succinylcholine is atypical cholinesterase, which occurs in homozygous form in 1 out of 3500 Caucasians. Atypical cholinesterase has a single substitution at nucleotide 209 which changes aspartic acid 70 to glycine. This suggests that Asp 70 is part of the anionic site, and that the absence of this negatively charged amino acid explains the reduced affinity of atypical cholinesterase for positively charged substrates and inhibitors. The clinical consequence of reduced affinity for succinylcholine is that none of the succinylcholine is hydrolyzed in blood and a large overdose reaches the nerve-muscle junction where it causes prolonged muscle paralysis. Silent cholinesterase has a frame shift mutation at glycine 117 which prematurely terminates protein synthesis and yields no active enzyme. The K variant, named in honor of W. Kalow, has threonine in place of alanine 539. The K variant is associated with 33% lower activity. All variants arise from a single locus as there is only one gene for human cholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8). Comparison of amino acid sequences of esterases and proteases shows that cholinesterase belongs to a new family of serine esterases which is different from the serine proteases.

Special properties of cholinesterases in the cerebral cortex of Alzheimer's disease

Selective cholinesterase inhibitors such as BW284C51 and iso-OMPA showed that the plaques and tangles of Alzheimer's disease contain acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase activity. In comparison to the cholinesterases of the normal brain, the plaque and tangle-bound cholinesterases in Alzheimer's disease display major shifts in optimum pH and inhibitor sensitivity.

Peptidasic activities associated with acetylcholinesterase are due to contaminating enzymes

The esterasic and peptidasic activities of two different sources of acetylcholinesterase purified from electric eel were examined. Hydrolyses of leucine-enkephalin and neurotensin indicated that both sources exhibited exopeptidasic and tryptic-like activities. However, the enzyme preparation which appeared 10-fold enriched with regard to the esterasic activity was found to display a 50- and 185-fold lower tryptic-like and exopeptidasic function, respectively. This lack of parallelism in the enrichment of the various activities seemed to indicate that they were not co-purified. Immunoprecipitation experiments performed with monoclonal antibodies directed towards the catalytic subunit of globular or asymmetric forms of electric eel acetylcholinesterase allowed the physical dissociation of esterasic and peptidasic functions and therefore confirmed that the ability of acetylcholinesterase to hydrolyze various neuropeptides was likely due to contaminating peptidases.

Differential distribution of acetylcholinesterase activity among vasopressin- and oxytocin-containing supraoptic magnocellular neurons

Acetylcholinesterase activity was demonstrated histochemically at light- and electron-microscopic levels, in Vibratome sections of the supraoptic nucleus of fixed hypothalami derived from osmotically stimulated and unstimulated Long Evans rats, from homozygous Brattleboro rats with hypothalamic diabetes insipidus, from lactating rats, from normal adult male house mice (Mus musculus) and from mice with hereditary nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (di/di). Reaction product was located in supraoptic magnocellular neurons; in dorsal and rostral aspects of the supraoptic nuclei lightly stained cells predominate, whereas in ventral and caudal regions densely staining perikarya predominate. Pre- and post-embedding immunocytochemical detection of oxytocin-neurophysin or vasopressin-neurophysin, combined with acetylcholinesterase histochemistry, showed that the lightly staining cells are oxytocinergic, and the densely staining cells vasopressinergic. Osmotic stimulation of the animals, either by substitution of drinking water for 3 days with 2.5% saline or reason of genetic defects which result in diabetes insipidus, enhanced the acetylcholinesterase activity of the vasopressin neurons but had little effect on the weekly acetylcholinesterase-reactive oxytocin cells. Acetylcholinesterase activity was particularly marked in the hypertrophied abnormal magnocellular neurons of homozygous Brattleboro rats which do not release significant amounts of vasopressin. The increased acetylcholinesterase activity in osmotically stimulated animals cannot, therefore, be a function of vasopressin. Acetylcholinesterase activity was also detected in large multipolar neurons lying dorsolateral to the supraoptic nucleus, and in their fine axonal processes which project towards the supraoptic nucleus. A very few synaptic boutons surrounded by acetylcholinesterase reaction product were found in contact with magnocellular neuron basal dendrites. However, much of the punctate acetylcholinesterase reactivity observed at the light microscopic level and previously interpreted as representing the loci of cholinergic synaptic boutons was shown to be intracellular, and probably caused by acetylcholinesterase activity in some large, secondary lysosomes.

Serum acetylcholinesterase possesses trypsin-like and carboxypeptidase B-like activity

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE, EC 3.1.1.7) purified from the electric organ of eel possesses a protease activity resembling that of a neuropeptide processing enzyme. To examine whether any mammalian AChEs possess a similar protease activity, the enzyme was purified, 110,000-fold from foetal bovine serum. Purified serum AChE cleaved 2 synthetic peptide substrates in a manner resembling the combined actions of trypsin-like and carboxypeptidase B-like enzymes. A synthetic fragment of preproenkephalin A (residues 97-107) containing a complete methionine-enkephalin sequence was cleaved by serum AChE to yield free methionine-enkephalin. The carboxypeptidase action of AChE was weakly stimulated by the presence of 100 microM CoCl2 suggesting the requirement of a metal ion for complete activity. The results support the hypothesis that in many tissues AChE may act as a neuropeptide processing enzyme.

Acetylcholinesterase-rich pyramidal neurons in the human neocortex and hippocampus: absence at birth, development during the life span, and dissolution in Alzheimer's disease

Acetylcholinesterase-rich pyramidal neurons in the human association neocortex and hippocampal formation are virtually absent early in life, become established by adolescence, and appear to increase in density during adulthood and perhaps even senescence. Analogous neurons are not detectable in the adult monkey brain. This novel class of neurons may represent a uniquely human adaptation in primate evolution and may provide a neuroanatomical substrate for the mental development that occurs during the adult stages of life. These phylogenetically and ontogenetically progressive neurons are also markedly vulnerable to degeneration in Alzheimer's disease.

Acetylcholinesterase converts Met5-enkephalin-containing peptides to Met5-enkephalin

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE; E.C. 3.1.1.7) was incubated with a number of enkephalin-containing neuropeptides found in the bovine adrenal medulla. Met5-enkephalin and Leu5-enkephalin were the most stable of the peptides studied, while precursors of Met5-enkephalin were converted to Met5-enkephalin. AChE is therefore capable of limited peptidase activity on Met5-enkephalin precursors. The enzyme hydrolysed the Met5-enkephalin precursor BAM-12P on the C-terminal side of the pair of basic amino acid residues, and cleaved basic amino acids from the carboxy-terminal of Met5-enkephalin-Arg6 and Met5-enkephalin-Arg6-Arg7. These results indicate that AChE, acting alone, is capable of the same pattern of enkephalin processing as that observed in the adrenal medulla.

Identification of a trypsin-like site associated with acetylcholinesterase by affinity labelling with [3H]diisopropyl fluorophosphate

In addition to its ability to hydrolyze acetylcholine, purified eel acetylcholinesterase possesses a trypsin-like endopeptidase activity. The tryptic activity is associated with a serine residue at a site that is distinct from the esteratic site. To label both the esteratic and tryptic sites, the enzyme was incubated with the serine hydrolase inhibitor [3H]diisopropyl fluorophosphate. This compound labelled the protein in a biphasic manner, with both slow and rapid labelling kinetics. The time course of the rapid phase was similar to the time course of inactivation of the esteratic activity. The time course of the slow phase was similar to the time course of inactivation of the tryptic activity. Labelling of the nonesteratic site was inhibited by the trypsin inhibitor N alpha-p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone. The total number of sites labelled by [3H]diisopropyl fluorophosphate on eel acetylcholinesterase was 2.6 mol/280,000 g protein, whereas the number of tryptic sites was less (0.52 mol/280,000 g). The results suggest that a subpopulation of acetylcholinesterase molecules may possess tryptic activity. Extensive chromatography of the purified enzyme by ion-exchange and gel filtration failed to separate the labelled tryptic component from acetylcholinesterase. On sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, the labelled tryptic component comigrated with a polypeptide of 50,000 molecular weight, which is a major proteolytic digestion product derived from the intact acetylcholinesterase monomer. Because of its localization in many noncholinergic peptide-containing cells, acetylcholinesterase could act as a neuropeptide processing enzyme in these cells.

Acetylcholinesterase undergoes autolysis to generate trypsin-like activity

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is one of the most highly studied enzymes, although its function in many tissues has remained obscure. AChE purified from eel or foetal bovine serum possesses proteolytic activity in addition to esterase activity. The presence of trypsin-like and metallocarboxypeptidase-like activities associated with AChE accounts for its ability to convert enkephalin peptide precursors into enkephalins. Several lines of evidence indicate that AChE's trypsin-like activity is an integral component of the molecule and that it is activated by autolysis. Incubation of affinity-purified eel AChE generated several fragments of low relative molecular mass (Mr). One of these low Mr fragments (Mr = 25,000 Da, 25K) cleaved from the 70K form of AChE, possessed considerable sequence similarity to the N-terminal sequence of pancreatic trypsin. Autolysis of eel AChE may give rise to a neuropeptide processing enzyme.

Characterization of a dipeptidyl aminopeptidase from bovine adrenal medulla

A dipeptidyl aminopeptidase was partially purified from a supernatant fraction of bovine adrenal medulla by gel filtration and anion-exchange chromatography. From gel filtration, the apparent molecular weight of the enzyme was 68,100 and its pH optimum was 9.5. Its Km for hydrolysis of the synthetic substrate arginylarginine-beta-naphthylamide was 5.5 X 10(-6) M. The enzyme was inhibited by metal ion chelating agents and thiol blocking agents, suggesting the requirement for both a metal ion and an active cysteine residue for its activity. Several peptides were cleaved by the dipeptidyl aminopeptidase involving the sequential removal of dipeptides from the N-terminus. Biologically active peptides, such as leucine-enkephalin, methionine-enkephalin, and angiotensin II, were hydrolyzed by the dipeptidyl aminopeptidase although opioid peptides with a length greater than five amino acid residues were not susceptible to hydrolysis. Other peptides with a blocked N-terminus (neurotensin, bombesin) or a proline residue adjacent to a potential cleavage site (substance P) were not hydrolyzed. The ability of this dipeptidyl aminopeptidase to degrade certain neuropeptides suggests that it could be involved in neuropeptide degradation.

Quantitative inter-strain comparison of the distribution of choline acetyltransferase activity in the rat cochlear nucleus

The distribution of choline acetyltransferase activity in the cochlear nucleus of Sprague-Dawley albino rats was quantitatively compared to those in two strains of pigmented rats, Long Evans hooded and Brown Norway, using microdissection and radiometric assay techniques. Although activities tended to be, on the whole, higher in the albino rats, the differences were fairly minor. The relative distributions of choline acetyltransferase activity were generally similar among the 3 rat strains, not only among regions, but also within regions. Stain for acetylcholinesterase activity in the cochlear nucleus also had a similar appearance among the 3 rat strains. These chemical results are consistent with previous anatomical and physiological studies suggesting that auditory differences between albino and pigmented animals may not be as great in the cochlear nucleus as in the superior olivary complex.