Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Cell Biology logoLink to The Journal of Cell Biology
. 1986 Mar 1;102(3):762–768. doi: 10.1083/jcb.102.3.762

Globular and asymmetric acetylcholinesterase in frog muscle basal lamina sheaths

PMCID: PMC2114121  PMID: 3485106

Abstract

After denervation in vivo, the frog cutaneus pectoris muscle can be led to degenerate by sectioning the muscle fibers on both sides of the region rich in motor endplate, leaving, 2 wk later, a muscle bridge containing the basal lamina (BL) sheaths of the muscle fibers (28). This preparation still contains various tissue remnants and some acetylcholine receptor-containing membranes. A further mild extraction by Triton X-100, a nonionic detergent, gives a pure BL sheath preparation, devoid of acetylcholine receptors. At the electron microscope level, this latter preparation is essentially composed of the muscle BL with no attached plasmic membrane and cellular component originating from Schwann cells or macrophages. Acetylcholinesterase is still present in high amounts in this BL sheath preparation. In both preparations, five major molecular forms (18, 14, 11, 6, and 3.5 S) can be identified that have either an asymmetric or a globular character. Their relative amount is found to be very similar in the BL and in the motor endplate-rich region of control muscle. Thus, observations show that all acetylcholinesterase forms can be accumulated in frog muscle BL.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (836.6 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bon S., Massoulié J. Collagen-tailed and hydrophobic components of acetylcholinesterase in Torpedo marmorata electric organ. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Aug;77(8):4464–4468. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.8.4464. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bon S., Massoulié J. Collagenase sensitivity and aggregation properties of Electrophorus acetylcholinesterase. Eur J Biochem. 1978 Aug 15;89(1):89–94. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1978.tb20899.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brockman S. K., Przybylski R. J., Younkin S. G. Cellular localization of the molecular forms of acetylcholinesterase in cultured embryonic rat myotubes. J Neurosci. 1982 Dec;2(12):1775–1785. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.02-12-01775.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cartaud J., Rieger F., Bon S., Massoulie J. Fine structure of electric ell acetylcholinesterase. Brain Res. 1975 Apr 25;88(1):127–130. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(75)90959-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dreyfus P. A., Friboulet A., Tran L. H., Rieger F. Polymorphism of acetylcholinesterase and identification of new molecular forms after sedimentation analysis. Biol Cell. 1984;51(1):35–41. doi: 10.1111/j.1768-322x.1984.tb00281.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dreyfus P. A., Rieger F., Pinçon-Raymond M. Acetylcholinesterase of mammalian neuromuscular junctions: presence of tailed asymmetric acetylcholinesterase in synaptic basal lamina and sarcolemma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Nov;80(21):6698–6702. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.21.6698. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Dudai Y., Herzberg M., Silman I. Molecular structures of acetylcholinesterase from electric organ tissue of the electric eel. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1973 Sep;70(9):2473–2476. doi: 10.1073/pnas.70.9.2473. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. ELLMAN G. L., COURTNEY K. D., ANDRES V., Jr, FEATHER-STONE R. M. A new and rapid colorimetric determination of acetylcholinesterase activity. Biochem Pharmacol. 1961 Jul;7:88–95. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(61)90145-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Emmerling M. R., Johnson C. D., Mosher D. F., Lipton B. H., Lilien J. E. Cross-linking and binding of fibronectin with asymmetric acetylcholinesterase. Biochemistry. 1981 May 26;20(11):3242–3247. doi: 10.1021/bi00514a040. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Fernandez H. L., Stiles J. R. Denervation induced changes in subcellular pools of 16S acetylcholinesterase activity from adult mammalian skeletal muscle. Neurosci Lett. 1984 Feb 10;44(2):187–192. doi: 10.1016/0304-3940(84)90079-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Goudou D., Rieger F. Recovery of acetylcholinesterase and of its multiple molecular forms in motor end-plate-free and motor end-plate-rich regions of mouse striated muscle, after irreversible inactivation by an organophosphorus compound (methyl-phosphorothiolate derivative). Biol Cell. 1983;48(2-3):151–157. doi: 10.1111/j.1768-322x.1984.tb00209.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Hall Z. W. Multiple forms of acetylcholinesterase and their distribution in endplate and non-endplate regions of rat diaphragm muscle. J Neurobiol. 1973;4(4):343–361. doi: 10.1002/neu.480040404. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Inestrosa N. C., Silberstein L., Hall Z. W. Association of the synaptic form of acetylcholinesterase with extracellular matrix in cultured mouse muscle cells. Cell. 1982 May;29(1):71–79. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90091-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. KOELLE G. B., FRIEDENWALD J. A. A histochemical method for localizing cholinesterase activity. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1949 Apr;70(4):617–622. doi: 10.3181/00379727-70-17013. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Massoulié J., Bon S. The molecular forms of cholinesterase and acetylcholinesterase in vertebrates. Annu Rev Neurosci. 1982;5:57–106. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ne.05.030182.000421. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. McMahan U. J., Sanes J. R., Marshall L. M. Cholinesterase is associated with the basal lamina at the neuromuscular junction. Nature. 1978 Jan 12;271(5641):172–174. doi: 10.1038/271172a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Nicolet M., Rieger F. Formes moléculaires de l'acétylcholinestérase du muscle squelettique de grenouille: effets de lénervation. C R Seances Soc Biol Fil. 1981;175(3):316–322. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Pinçon-Raymond M., Rieger F. Extensive multiple innervation and abnormal synaptogenesis in muscular dysgenesis (mdg/mdg) in the mouse embryo. Reprod Nutr Dev. 1982;22(1B):217–226. doi: 10.1051/rnd:19820208. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Rieger F., Bon S., Massoulié J. Observation par microscopie électronique des formes allongées et globulaires de l'acétylcholinestérase de gymnote (Electrophorus electricus. Eur J Biochem. 1973 May 2;34(3):539–547. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1973.tb02792.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Rieger F., Koenig J., Vigny M. Spontaneous contractile activity and the presence of the 16 S form of acetylcholinesterase in rat muscle cells in culture: reversible suppressive action of tetrodotoxin. Dev Biol. 1980 May;76(2):358–365. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(80)90385-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Rieger F., Pinçon-Raymond M. Muscle and nerve in muscular dysgenesis in the mouse at birth: sprouting and multiple innervation. Dev Biol. 1981 Oct 15;87(1):85–101. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(81)90063-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Sanes J. R., Chiu A. Y. The basal lamina of the neuromuscular junction. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1983;48(Pt 2):667–678. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1983.048.01.070. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Sanes J. R., Marshall L. M., McMahan U. J. Reinnervation of muscle fiber basal lamina after removal of myofibers. Differentiation of regenerating axons at original synaptic sites. J Cell Biol. 1978 Jul;78(1):176–198. doi: 10.1083/jcb.78.1.176. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Torres J. C., Inestrosa N. C. Heparin solubilizes asymmetric acetylcholinesterase from rat neuromuscular junction. FEBS Lett. 1983 Apr 18;154(2):265–268. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(83)80162-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Vigny M., Bon S., Massoulié J., Leterrier F. Active-site catalytic efficiency of acetylcholinesterase molecular forms in Electrophorus, torpedo, rat and chicken. Eur J Biochem. 1978 Apr 17;85(2):317–323. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1978.tb12241.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Vigny M., Koenig J., Rieger F. The motor end-plate specific form of acetylcholinesterase: appearance during embryogenesis and re-innervation of rat muscle. J Neurochem. 1976 Dec;27(6):1347–1353. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1976.tb02614.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Vigny M., Martin G. R., Grotendorst G. R. Interactions of asymmetric forms of acetylcholinesterase with basement membrane components. J Biol Chem. 1983 Jul 25;258(14):8794–8798. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Viratelle O. M., Bernhard S. A. Major component of acetylcholinesterase in Torpedo electroplax is not basal lamina associated. Biochemistry. 1980 Oct 28;19(22):4999–5007. doi: 10.1021/bi00563a011. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Younkin S. G., Rosenstein C., Collins P. L., Rosenberry T. L. Cellular localization of the molecular forms of acetylcholinesterase in rat diaphragm. J Biol Chem. 1982 Nov 25;257(22):13630–13637. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Cell Biology are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES