Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.1.1.8 (cholinesterase)
12,691 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The ability of hexamethonium (C6) to reverse the neuromuscular blocking action of tubocurarine (Tc) has been reinvestigated at the voltage clamped endplate of the omohyoid muscle of rat. The possibility that a weak anticholinesterase action of C6 could contribute to the paradoxical potentiation of the peak amplitude of the endplate response has been examined. C6 (50-200 microM) caused an increase in the amplitude of nerve-evoked endplate currents (e.p.cs) recorded in the presence of 0.6 microM Tc. The effect decreased with hyperpolarization of the muscle fibre. Irreversible inhibition of acetylcholinesterase resulted in a loss of the anti-curare effect of C6. C6 did not cause an increase in e.p.c. amplitude when acetylcholine (ACh) receptors were blocked irreversibly by alpha-bungaratoxin. When transmission was blocked by increased Mg2+ concentration, C6 (50-400 microM) reduced the amplitude of e.p.cs without appreciably affecting their time course. C6 caused a decrease in the amplitude of miniature endplate currents (m.e.p.cs) the effect being slightly increased when the fibre was hyperpolarized. An e-fold increase in the effectiveness of C6 occurred with approximately 58 mV hyperpolarization. High concentrations (greater than 400 microM) affected the time course of m.e.p.cs in a manner suggestive of open channel block, but this was not evident at 200 microM, the concentration that was most effective in reversing Tc block. When tested against responses to short ionophoretic pulses of agonists, C6 was less effective against ACh (EC50ca. 300 microM) than against carbachol (CCh) (EC50 100 microM). When cholinesterase was irreversibly inhibited, C6 blocked responses to both agonists equally (EC50ca. 100 microM). The effectiveness of C6 in blocking the action of CCh was reduced 10 fold in the presence of 0.6 microM Tc, implying that the two antagonists compete for the same binding site. C6 (50-200 microM) in the presence of Tc (0.6 microM) increased the response to ionophoretically applied ACh but not that to CCh. C6 was equipotent in blocking m.e.p.cs and responses to ionophoretically applied ACh whereas Tc was more potent against the exogenously applied agonist. C6 was a weak inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase activity in rat muscle homogenates (EC50 1.5 mM). The results are discussed in terms of the kinetic hypothesis advanced by Ginsborg & Stephenson (1974) to account for the Tc reversal phenomenon. It is concluded that this theory can explain most of the effect on e.p.cs, but that the weak anticholinesterase action of C6 is also a factor, particularly in the reversal of Tc block of ionophoretic responses.
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PMID:The interaction between hexamethonium and tubocurarine on the rat neuromuscular junction. 614 31

The effects of acetylcholine (ACh), carbamylcholine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on the spike activity of uropod motoneurons were investigated electrophysiologically in the crayfish Procambarus clarkii Girard and Cambaroides japonicus de Haan. High concentrations of ACh were required to bring about an increase in the spike discharge of uropod motoneurons while carbamylcholine, which is not destroyed by cholinesterase, caused a marked increase in the motoneuron spike discharge even in low concentrations. Application of GABA in concentrations of 10(-5)-10(-2) M caused the decrease in the spike discharge of uropod motoneurons. Under the condition that the synaptic transmission onto uropod motoneurons was blocked by perfusing EGTA containing Ca2+-free saline with high-Mg2+, ACh increased the spike discharge of uropod motoneurons whereas GABA decreased it. The results suggested that ACh and GABA function as excitatory and inhibitory transmitters, respectively, in the crayfish central nervous system.
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PMID:The effects of acetylcholine, carbamylcholine and gamma-aminobutyric acid on uropod motoneurons in the crayfish Procambarus clarkii and Cambaroides japonicus. 614 68

Motor nerve sprouting was induced in the tensor fasciae latae muscle of mice by partial denervation produced either by cutting (to prevent reinnervation) or crushing (to allow subsequent reinnervation) spinal nerve L4 unilaterally. The quantum content (m) of endplate potentials recorded intracellularly in vitro in the presence of high-Mg2+ and low-Ca2+ ion concentrations was determined up to 400 days later in non-reinnervated, reinnervated and contralateral control muscles. The muscles were then either fixed and stained with silver and cholinesterase for light microscopy, or fixed and examined in the electron microscope. The average value of m in control muscles increased by 4-5-fold as the animals matured in the 4 months following the operations. The average value of m at terminals of sprouted motor neurones in the absence of reinnervation also increased with time after partial denervation but was always less than the value in the corresponding control muscle. In electron micrographs of muscles following L4 section the nerve terminals closely apposed on average only two-thirds of the proportion of junctional folds apposed to terminals in control muscles. When muscles were reinnervated following L4 crush the average value of m at terminals of sprouted and reinnervating motor neurones equalled and sometimes exceeded m in contralateral control muscles. A proportion of muscle fibres had endplate potentials from reinnervating and sprouted axons, and the silver stain showed that these muscle fibres were innervated at the site of the original endplate. At these endplates the fraction of the total quantum content contributed by presumed sprout terminals fell significantly in the 4 months following L4 crush. It is concluded that: (i) in the absence of reinnervation, sprout terminals grow in size but a significant number never occupy all endplate site available to them; and (ii) in the presence of reinnervation axons terminals share some endplates with sprout terminals and grow at the expense of the sprout terminals which are eventually withdrawn from some shared endplates.
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PMID:Neuromuscular transmission at terminals of sprouted mammalian motor neurones. 707 54

1. The acetylcholine (ACh) store in the Torpedo electric organ was partially labelled with choline and acetate at the same molar concentration but with different isotopes. Under these conditions the two precursors were incorporated into ACh in a ratio 1 to 1. 2. After a single electrical stimulus, or a brief burst of stimuli, the compound electroplaque potential (e.p.p.) was recorded and the radioactive choline and/or acetate counted in the perfusion fluid, providing a sensitive assay for ACh release in the absence of anticholinesterase drugs. 3. The so-called depression of transmission was found to be due to progressive impairment of ACh release in the successive impulses evoked by repeated stimuli. 4. In a pair of impulses separated by 50 ms interval, less ACh was released by the second than by the first impulse; this explained why the size of the second e.p.p. was depressed, using a direct measurement of ACh. 5. In repetitive stimulations of longer duration, the maximum rate of release declined as the activity was prolonged. Thus the tissue progressively lost its ability to ensure release at high frequencies. 6. An unexpected finding was that anticholinesterases like eserine or pre-treatment with fluostigmine (DFP) greatly reduced ACh release even by a single impulse. 7. Evoked ACh release and e.p.p. amplitude were both maximum between 10 and 20 degrees C. At higher temperatures, the evoked release decreased as the spontaneous release increased. 8. Changes in external Ca2+ and Mg2+ produced similar changes in the e.p.p. and evoked ACh release. The dose--response curve for Ca dependency of ACh release was very steep with a Hill's coefficient of 3.2. 9. With a single stimulus in the presence of 4-aminopyridine, there was a dramatic enlargement of the e.p.p. and a still larger potentiation of the evoked ACh release. 10. It has been possible with this approach to avoid the inconveniences often encountered in simliar studies, i.e. repetitive stimulation, low Ca solutions and cholinesterase inhibition. This permitted a good correlation between electrophysiological and biochemical estimates of transmitter release even by a single nerve impulse.
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PMID:Acetylcholine release evoked by single or a few nerve impulses in the electric organ of Torpedo. 735 88

The biochemical characterization of detergent-solubilized acetylcholinesterase (AChE) from subcellular particles of sheep platelets and the effects of different effectors on AChE activity from solubilized platelet crude membranes have been undertaken and studied. Solubilization of AChE with detergent increased the thermal stability of the enzyme from all particulate fractions. Solubilized AChE from the mitochondria-granule fraction was the most thermostable at 55 degrees C. The Km values against acetylthiocholine chloride and the Arrhenius plot obtained were very similar for the AChE from all the solubilized fractions. There were no differences in the ability of solubilized AChE from different subcellular fractions to bind concanavalin A (Con A). In solubilized platelet crude membranes, benzyl alcohol was a potent AChE inhibitor at a concentration of 10(-2) M, whereas ethanol was not. Mg2+ cations and, to a lesser extent, Ca2+ and Mn2+ cations, activated AChE at concentrations higher than 1 mM. Serine hydrolase inhibitors and cholinesterase-specific inhibitors were very effective in the inactivation of AChE, whereas EDTA and EGTA had no effect. Of all the monosaccharides tested, only N-acetylneuraminic acid exerted an inhibitory effect on AChE activity. Immobilized-lectin binding studies demonstrated the interaction of solubilized crude membrane-bound AChE with Con A, lentil lectin and wheat germ agglutinin. Taken together, these data suggest the presence of a unique form of the membrane-bound AChE which has at least alpha-mannose and N-acetylglucosamine residues in the glycan chain.
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PMID:Biochemical characterization of sheep platelet acetylcholinesterase after detergent solubilization. 785 52

1. In mouse diaphragm, with intact cholinesterase (ChE), the mean value of the resting membrane potential was significantly higher (-84.8 +/- 0.3 mV; mean +/- S.E.M.) at the endplate zone than in the extrajunctional area of the muscle fibres (-82.5 +/- 0.3 mV) at 22 degrees C. 2. This hyperpolarization of about 2-3 mV at the endplate zone was abolished within 5 min by 1 x 10(-6) M ouabain, indicating that it might be caused by an electrogenic Na(+)-K+ pump. (+)-Tubocurarine (TC; 1 x 10(-5) M) had no effect on this hyperpolarization after bath application for 10-20 min. 3. Short-term denervation (4 h), a slight increase of Mg2+ in the bath of from 1 to 4 mM and application of a Ca(2+)-free solution for 60 min also led to the disappearance of the surplus polarization. All of these factors are known to eliminate TC-induced hyperpolarization in anti-ChE-treated muscles (H-effect), which is considered to be a correlate of non-quantal acetylcholine (ACh) leakage. 4. The time courses of the decline of the H-effect and surplus polarization after denervation were identical. 5. In short-term denervated muscles with intact ChE, the surplus polarization was restored by 5 x 10(-8) M ACh, which simulates the H-effect in anti-ChE-treated muscles. The presence of 1 x 10(-6) M ouabain either prevented or abolished the effect of the bath-applied ACh.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Role of non-quantal acetylcholine release in surplus polarization of mouse diaphragm fibres at the endplate zone. 793 37

1. The inhibition kinetics of sheep brain butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) (acylcholine acylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.8) by Cd2+ and Zn2+ has been studied. 2. KS has been determined as 0.14 mM. Cd2+ and Zn2+ were the hyperbolic mixed-type inhibitors of BChE. Ca2+ and Mg2+ had no effect on the enzyme activity in the experimental conditions. 3. But when the enzyme was inhibited by 0.1 mM Cd2+ or Zn2+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ reactivated the inhibited form of BChE.
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PMID:Inhibition kinetics of brain butyrylcholinesterase by Cd2+ and Zn2+, Ca2+ or Mg2+ reactivates the inhibited enzyme. 840 52

1. The amplitude and exponential decay time constant of miniature endplate currents (MEPCs) were measured in mouse diaphragms treated with anti-cholinesterase under conditions known to modulate non-quantal acetylcholine (ACh) release. 2. Anti-cholinesterase prolonged MEPC decay and the extent of this initial prolongation was not influenced by non-quantal release. When non-quantal release was present, the decays of MEPCs became increasingly faster over several hours. This increased decay did not occur in the absence of non-quantal release. 3. Potentiation of the non-quantal release by zero Mg2+ and 1 x 10(-5) M choline, on the other hand, led to acceleration of MEPC shortening. 4. Increase of temperature from 15 to 26 degrees C and the presence of the desensitization-promoting drug proadifen (5 x 10(-6) M) accelerated the rate of MEPC shortening. 5. These observations are consistent with increased receptor desensitization due to non-quantal release. Repetitive binding of ACh to postsynaptic receptors which prolongs the time course of MEPC in anti-cholinesterase-treated endplates leads to progressive desensitization in the presence of non-quantal release and to the subsequent shortening of the quantal responses.
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PMID:The effect of non-quantal acetylcholine release on quantal miniature currents at mouse diaphragm. 841 Jun 87

1. The relationship between quantal content and prolongation of endplate currents (EPC) was studied in the frog sartorius with intact synaptic acetylcholinesterase. 2. The prolongation of EPC was more pronounced in endplates with a higher quantal content both before and after potentiation of quantal release by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP). When the quantal content of EPC was lowered, either by high Mg2+ or repetitive stimulation, the EPC decay constant was reduced. 3. A certain critical value of about 120 quanta per nerve impulse was found, at which point the decay of EPC remained constant even through the quantal content was reduced further. 4. The reduction in both density and number of postsynaptic receptors, produced by alpha-bungarotoxin and (+)-tubocurarine led to a profound reduction in EPC decay during the progressive fall in EPC amplitude in both 4-AP-treated and -untreated endplates. Both drugs are known to produce a shortening of EPC in anti-cholinesterase (anti-ChE)-treated muscles, due to a decrease in receptor density and less frequent repetitive binding of ACh. 5. It is assumed that the prolongation of multiquantal EPC is caused by an increased ACh concentration near the receptors, which may provide the opportunity for repetitive binding even with full cholinesterase activity. The critical quantum content of about 120 might be the number of quanta at which the probability of multiple release at single active zones is increased above zero.
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PMID:A correlation between quantal content and decay time of endplate currents in frog muscles with intact cholinesterase. 841 Jul 18

Recent studies implicate that excessive amyloidogenic pathway of amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing may be the final common pathway involved in the pathogensis of AD. In attempts to identify the proteases or factors leading to excessive amyloid deposition, we evaluated the potential role of acethylcholinesterase (AChE) and its associated protease for amyloidogenic processing of APP in vitro. Prolonged incubation of a recombinant APP770 with AChE produced several amyloidogenic fragments accumulating a relatively stable a 18 kDa A beta (amyloid beta-protein) bearing carboxy terminal peptide, which was further degraded by an increased concentration of AChE. Protease inhibitory profiles confirmed the trypsin-like serine protease activity present in AChE preparation. This observed APP processing was significantly enhanced by Ca2+, Mg2+, or Mn2+ at 1 mM concentration and modulated in concentration dependent manners by metal ions such as Ca2+, Zn2+, Fe2+/Fe3+, Al3+, or a tacrine, a centrally active cholinesterase inhibitor. Our data imply that AChE and its associated protease may be involved in the generation a 18 kDa amyloidogenic peptide under certain physiological condition in vivo and that the gradual changes in their proteolytic activities or locations and the locally disturbed metal homeostasis could be factors associated with abnormal accumulation of APP, eventually leading to amyloid deposition in AD brain. In addition, zinc or tacrine treatment of AD patients with high dosage or in the long term may have effects on the process of amyloidogensis.
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PMID:Amyloidogenic processing of Alzheimer's amyloid precursor protein in vitro and its modulation by metal ions and tacrine. 876 43


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