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)

Hemolymph of the marine mollusc, Aplysia californica, contains four large particles: acetylcholinesterase, hemocyanin, a hemagglutinin, and a structure tentatively identified as erythrocurorin. We purified the acetylcholinesterase 20-fold by differential centrifugation and filtration through a column of 4% agarose. The freshly isolated esterase complex was found to have a sedimentation coefficient of 69, but the negatively stained enzyme lacked a definite structure in the electron microscope, and appeared as irregular aggregates of a 60 A subunit. The complex was unstable below pH 5 or during storage at 7 degrees. Under these conditions, enzymatic activity remained essentially unchanged. Treatment of the purified enzyme with trichloroacetic acid, organic solvents, and sodium dodecyl sulfate broke the complex down into two major subunits with molecular weights of about 70,000. Exposure of the enzyme to [3H]diisopropylfluorophosphate resulted in the labeling of one of these subunits. Although similar in specificity, the cholinesterase of the blood differed from the enzyme in Aplysia nervous tissue, which is associated with membrane. Treatment with sodium deoxycholate activated the membrane-associated enzyme but inhibited slightly that of the hemolymph; tyrocidine inhibited the hemolymph enzyme but not the enzyme of nervous tissue; and mild digestion with trypsin released the membrane-bound enzyme in an active, soluble form, but inactivated the enzyme of hemolymph. The other particulates of Aplysia hemolymph were partially characterized. Aplysia hemocyanin was similar in structure to other molluscan hemocyanins. When negatively stained, the unit particle appeared to be a disc with a diameter of 280 A and a width of 45 A. These discs were stacked to form long cylindrical arrays. The purified hemocyanin was found to contain 0.26% copper (dry weight). Using differential centrifugation and gel filtration we also obtained a 9-fold purification of Aplysia hemagglutinin. This particle was 120 A in diameter with a dark staining central core of 40 A consisting of 6 subunits. The particle tentatively identified as erythrocurorin appeared as a structure 200 A in diameter consisting of 5 V-shaped subunits.
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PMID:Isolation and characterization of acetylcholinesterase and other particulate proteins in the hemolymph of Aplysia californica. 111 86

1. The influences of enzyme treatments (trypsin and collagenase) on responses to perfused acetylcholine were examined on physically isolated single Aplysia neurons, using the voltage-clamp, internal perfusion, and rapid external perfusion technique. 2. During treatment with trypsin (0.025 to 0.1%) for 10 to 30 min at room temperature (22 to 25 degrees C), the peak amplitude of the Na current induced by acetylcholine increased in a time- and dose-dependent manner, and the decay in the continued presence of acetylcholine was slowed. This effect of trypsin treatment was irreversible after washing for 60 min without enzyme. 3. Edrophonium, a cholinesterase inhibitor, has previously been shown to augment the Na acetylcholine response in this preparation by inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. After treatment of the neuron with trypsin, the augmentation after edrophonium was abolished. Furthermore, in the presence of edrophonium, trypsin also failed to increase the response. The dose-response curve for acetylcholine after treatment of trypsin was similar to that in the presence of edrophonium. These results suggest that the modification of the current response by trypsin is a result of removal of cholinesterase activity from the membrane. 4. In contrast to the effects of trypsin, collagenase (0.03 to 0.1%) for 10 to 60 min did not change the current amplitude of the acetylcholine response. However, collagenase treatment did alter the kinetics of the acetylcholine response in a dose-dependent manner, in that the rate of decay was accelerated. A similar acceleration was seen in the acetylcholine responses on other neurons which were due to Cl or K currents, suggesting that the effect was independent on the type of channel. This effect of collagenase was reversible after 30 to 60 min of washing of the neuron. 5. In the presence of edrophonium or after the treatment with trypsin, collagenase still accelerated the current kinetics of the acetylcholine response, indicating that cholinesterase activity is not related to this effect. Furthermore, heated collagenase (presumably inactivated) had a similar action, suggesting that the enzymatic activity of collagenase is not related to the modification of the response. 6. These results suggest that Aplysia acetylcholinesterase is sensitive to trypsin but not to collagenase. However, the preparation of a collagenase used in these studies contains some factor which alters the response to acetylcholine, but this effect is reversible and unrelated to enzymatic activity.
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PMID:Influences of trypsin and collagenase on acetylcholine responses of physically isolated single neurons of Aplysia californica. 216 51

1. The actions of representative cholinesterase inhibitors on the acetylcholine responses of physically isolated single neurones from the pedal ganglion of Aplysia californica were studied, using electrophysiological techniques and rapid agonist application to analyse both the inhibitory actions on the acetylcholine receptor-channel complex and the degree of inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity on the same neurone. The inhibitors used were physostigmine, edrophonium and diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP). 2. When selected neurones were suddenly exposed to 50 microM acetylcholine by a 'concentration clamp' technique a large Na-dependent inward current was initiated, and decayed in the continued presence of acetylcholine without external perfusion. However, if perfusion of the acetylcholine solution was reinitiated the current increased somewhat, indicating that the decay of current was due to some combination of receptor desensitization and local depletion of acetylcholine at the membrane by acetylcholinesterase. 3. With simultaneous application of acetylcholine (50 microM) and physostigmine (0.1 to 100 microM) there was a dose-dependent reduction of peak amplitude of the acetylcholine response. However, physostigmine at low concentrations (0.1 to 10 microM) caused a time-dependent increase in the current amplitude alone with a time- and dose-dependent inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity. At the highest concentration of physostigmine (100 microM) acetylcholinesterase activity was abolished but the current peak was very depressed. After removal of physostigmine from the bathing solution, the current amplitude decreased toward the control at the two lower concentrations as the inhibitory actions on acetylcholinesterase activity were almost reversible, while at the two higher concentrations (10 and 100 microM) the current increased and the inhibition of acethylcholinesterase remained. 4. When acetylcholine (50 microM) and edrophonium (0.1 to 10 microM) were applied simultaneously, edrophonium caused a dose-dependent increase in the peak amplitude that was correlated with a dose-dependent inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity. Prolonged exposure to edrophonium did not change the peak amplitude and there was no time-dependent change in the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity. At the highest concentration of edrophonium used (100 microM), simultaneous application with acetylcholine augmented the peak amplitude relative to control, but to a lesser extent than 10 microM. Prolonged exposure to the highest concentration of edrophonium caused a time-dependent reduction in the peak amplitude. The effects of edrophonium were quickly reversible after the removal of the drug from the bathing solution. 5. DFP (1 and 10mM), similar to 1OO microM physostigmine, caused a dramatic reduction of the peak current on simultaneous application with ftetylcholine. During exposure to DFP the current amplitude and acetylcholinesterase activity were very depressed. After removing DFP from the bathing solution the current amplitude increased to more than the control level after 1 mm DFP, while it did not recover to the control level after 10mM DFP. The inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity remained at both concentrations. 6. These results indicate that all three cholinesterase inhibitors have dose-dependent actions both at the acetylcholine receptor-channel complex and at acetylcholinesterase. The methods we have developed may be useful in the evaluation of various cholinesterase inhibitors.
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PMID:Electrophysiological estimation of the actions of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors on acetylcholine receptor and cholinesterase in physically isolated Aplysia neurones. 272 Feb 93

We have studied the ionic and pharmacological properties of an inward current elicited by edrophonium, a cholinesterase inhibitor, on physically isolated and internally perfused Aplysia neurons using the voltage clamp, internal perfusion and rapid external perfusion techniques. The current amplitude was dependent on the external Na concentration [(Na)o] in an almost linear manner. However, complete replacement of (Na)o with Tris or sucrose failed to abolish the current. Internal application of Na [increased (Na)i] reduced the current amplitude. In normal (Na)o, changing (Ca)o (both increases and decreases in (Ca)o) reduced the current amplitude. In the sucrose-substituted (Na)o-free condition, edrophonium still could cause a small current (less than 5% of the control). However, an increased (Ca)o did not augment this residual current. Cs and Li carried the edrophonium-activated current when substituted for (Na)o. With sucrose-substituted Na-free sea water outside, edrophonium elicited an outward current when the neuron was internally perfused with Cs, but not when the neuron was internally perfused with K. Therefore, it is unlikely that K is permeant. External application of tetrodotoxin, a blocker of voltage-dependent Na channels, external application of Cd and internal application of F did not affect the current. The edrophonium response was most sensitive to strychnine, which was about 10 times more potent than D-tubocurarine. Hexamethonium, however, had no effect. The local anesthetics, lidocaine and procaine, inhibited the response over the same concentration range as D-tubocurarine. We conclude that edrophonium opens a monocationic channel (presumably a type of Na channel) which is sensitive to (Ca)o.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Characterization of an inward current elicited by edrophonium in physically isolated and internally perfused Aplysia neurons. 319 1

The side effects of four phosphorylated cholinesterase reactivators (oximes): contrathion, TMB4, toxogonine and 1574 SEBC on membrane properties and synaptic transmission of Aplysia central neurons were investigated. Applied in the bath at 10(-3) mol X 1(-1) to 10(-2) mol X 1(-1) concentrations, all these oximes had a depressive action on cholinergic transmission exerting a curare-like effect on the postsynaptic receptors. In addition, Toxogonin and TMB4 affected the presynaptic voltage dependent sodium conductance. None of these oximes interfered with the voltage dependent potassium or calcium conductances. The oximes had a transient facilitatory action on amplitude of the response to ionophoretically applied acetylcholine (ACh) on H-type ACh receptors, but not on cells with D-type ACh receptors. The K+ dependent response to ACh injection on pleural ganglion cells was selectively blocked by 5 X 10(-6) mol X 1(-1) contrathion. All oximes at 10(-2) mol X 1(-1) to 10(-3) mol X 1(-1) similarly depressed serotonin receptors in buccal ganglion cells. All the effects of oximes were reversible by washing. It was concluded that oximes can act as 1) inhibitors of Na+ conductance, 2) antagonists for various synaptic receptors, 3) reversible inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase.
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PMID:Side effects of phosphorylated acetylcholinesterase reactivators on neuronal membrane and synaptic transmission. 630 Jul 53

Several identified neurons of the Aplysia buccal ganglia respond to choline. Iontophoretic applications of either choline or acetylcholine (ACh) to voltage-clamped inhibitory follower neurons produce similar currents. Peak amplitudes of choline responses were 10-100% of ACh responses on the same cell. Choline currents were curare blockable and reversed at -69 +/- 2 mV, within 1 mV of postsynaptic current (IPSC) reversal. Application of 1 mM choline to the bath produces more prolonged effects than an initial conductance change. Choline depressed IPSC amplitude by 42 +/- 5% and prolonged IPSC decay time constant by 25 +/- 7%. The slowing was reversible but the depression was not. Use of choline as a Na substitute may therefore involve unexpected partial agonist action; even where conductance changes are transient or inapparent, choline may alter synaptic responses. Bath choline had variable effects on cholinergic self-inhibitory synapses, blocking in six trials but not in three others. Voltage clamping cells BL and BR7, in which monosynaptic cholinergic PSPs are diphasic, reveals underlying early inward and late outward currents. Choline activates only the late outward current component. Correspondingly, bath choline blocks only the late outward component, as does eserine and ACh. This block is not seen with neostigmine, and so is unlikely to be related to cholinesterase inhibition. The early inward current component, revealed by block of the late component by choline or ACh, decays exponentially. Decay time constant is exponentially dependent on membrane potential over the range -20 to -100 mV, with 63-mV depolarization speeding decay e-fold. Eserine prolongs decay and steepens voltage dependence. The late outward component decays with voltage-independent time constant of 48 +/- 5 ms. Both the time integral of synaptic conductance and the ratio of synaptic charge transfer to peak synaptic current of the early inward component of the cell 7 response are reduced by depolarization. Voltage-dependent duration thus combines with reduced driving force in diminishing the excitatory effect of this component at depolarized levels, allowing the inhibitory component to predominate. In this diphasic synapse, voltage dependence of the time course of one component thus serves an easily identified function.
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PMID:Choline acts as agonist and blocker for Aplysia cholinergic synapses. 631 20