Identification of hybrid cholinesterase forms consisting of acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase subunits in human glioma.

Brain and non-brain tumors contain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) transcripts and enzyme activity. AChE and BuChE occur in tissues as a set of molecular components, whose distribution in a cyst fluid from a human astrocytoma we investigated. The fluid displayed high BuChE and low AChE activities. Three types of cholinesterase (ChE) tetramers were identified in the fluid by means of sedimentation analyses and assays with specific inhibitors, and their sedimentation coefficients were 11.7S (ChE-I), 11.1S (ChE-II), and 10.5S (ChE-III). ChE-I was unretained, ChE-II was weakly retained and ChE-III was adsorbed to edrophonium-agarose, confirming the AChE nature of the latter. ChE-I and ChE-II tetramers contained BuChE subunits as shown by their binding with an antiserum against BuChE. The ChE activity of the immunocomplexes made with ChE-II and anti-BuChE antibodies decreased with the AChE inhibitor BW284c51, revealing that ChE-II was made of AChE and BuChE subunits, in contrast to ChE-I, which only contained BuChE subunits. The binding of an anti-AChE antibody (AE1) to ChE-II and ChE-III, but not to ChE-I, demonstrated the hybrid composition of ChE-II. A substantial fraction of the AChE tetramers and dimers of astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas bound both to anti-AChE and anti-BuChE antibodies, which revealed a mixed composition of AChE and BuChE subunits in them. The AChE components of brain, meningiomas and neurinomas were only recognized by AE1. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that aberrant ChE oligomers consisting of AChE and BuChE subunits are generated in astrocytomatous cyst and gliomas but not in brain, meningiomas or neurinomas.

Caspase-3 activation by beta-amyloid and prion protein peptides is independent from their neurotoxic effect.

Synthetic peptides corresponding to residues 25-35 of beta-amyloid (beta 25-35) and 106-126 of prion protein (PrP 106-126) are amyloidogenic and cause neuronal death by apoptosis in vitro. We evaluated, in rat cortical neurons, the role of caspases activation in the peptides neurotoxicity by measuring of caspase-3 (CPP32) activity and applying a non-selective caspase inhibitor (z-VAD-fmk) or CPP32-specific inhibitor (Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-CHO (DEVD-CHO)). CPP32 was dose-dependently activated by both peptides (2.5-50 microM). The caspase inhibitors completely abolished the CPP32 activation induced by the peptides. However, the neurotoxic effect was partially attenuated with z-VAD-fmk, while no antagonism was found with DEVD-CHO. Thus, although beta 25-35 and PrP 106-126 robustly activated CPP32, their neurotoxic effect was independent of this caspase activation.

Characterization of molecular forms of acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase in human acoustic neurinomas.

Acoustic neurinomas were sequentially extracted with saline and saline-Triton X-100 buffers. Detergent was required to detach the bulk of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), but butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) was mostly released with saline buffer. Sedimentation analysis and hydrophobic chromatography revealed that neurinomas contain principally amphiphilic AChE tetramers, dimers and monomers, and hydrophilic BuChE tetramers. The AChE dimers and monomers remained amphiphilic after incubation with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PIPLC), after or without prior treatment with alkaline hydroxylamine, which shows that, in contrast to the meningioma AChE dimers and monomers, the neurinoma isoforms are devoid of glycolipid. Neurinoma AChE reacted with the antibodies HR2 and AE1 raised against AChE from human brain or erythrocyte, whereas BuChE bound to a sheep antiserum.

The amyloid beta-protein of Alzheimer's disease increases acetylcholinesterase expression by increasing intracellular calcium in embryonal carcinoma P19 cells.

One of the characteristic changes that occurs in Alzheimer's disease is the loss of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) from both cholinergic and noncholinergic neurons of the brain. However, AChE activity is increased around amyloid plaques. This increase in AChE may be of significance for therapeutic strategies using AChE inhibitors. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of amyloid beta-protein (A beta), the major component of amyloid plaques, on AChE expression. A beta peptides spanning residues 1-40 or 25-35 increased AChE activity in P19 embryonal carcinoma cells. A peptide containing a scrambled A beta(25-35) sequence did not stimulate AChE expression. To examine the possibility that the increase in AChE expression was mediated by an influx of calcium through voltage-dependent calcium channels (VDCCs), drugs acting on VDCCs were tested for their effects. Inhibitors of L-type VDCCs (diltiazem, nifedipine, and verapamil), but not N- or P- or Q-type VDCCs, resulted in a decrease in AChE expression. Agonists of L-type VDCCs (maitotoxin and S(-)-Bay K 8644) increased AChE expression. As L-type VDCCs are known to be modulated by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, the effect of the adenylate cyclase activator forskolin was also examined. Forskolin stimulated AChE expression, an action that was blocked by the L-type VDCC antagonist nifedipine. The A beta(25-35)induced increase in AChE expression was mediated by an L-type VDCC, as the effect was also blocked by nifedipine. The results suggest that the increase in AChE expression around amyloid plaques could be due to a disturbance in calcium homeostasis involving the opening of L-type VDCCs.

Biochemical properties of acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase in human meningioma.

The structural properties of acetyl-(AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) in meningioma and the possible relationship with brain and plasma were investigated. Meningioma ChEs were extracted with saline and saline-Triton X-100 buffers. The tumor ChE forms were identified by sedimentation analysis, and their amphiphilic/hydrophilic behaviour was assessed by Triton X-114 phase-partitioning and hydrophobic chromatography. Meningioma contained amphiphilic globular AChE dimers (G2A) and monomers (G1A), and hydrophilic BuChE tetramers (G4H). The conversion of G2A into G1A AChE by reduction confirmed their structures. In contrast to the meningioma species, brain G1A AChE forms remained amphiphilic after incubation with alkaline hydroxylamine and phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PIPLC). Meningioma G1A and PIPLC-converted G1H, and brain G1A AChE showed similar rate constants for thermal inactivation, and this suggested that the thermal stability of AChE subunits was unaffected by the presence or not of phosphatidylinositol residues. AChE in meningioma and brain did not differ in the interaction with the lectins Con A, LCA, WGA and RCA. BuChE in meningioma and brain bound to a similar extent to Con A, LCA and WGA-Agarose, whereas one-half of BuChE in the tumor, all in plasma and little in brain was fixed by RCA. Therefore, meningioma possesses RCA(+)- and RCA(-)-BuChE, the former predominating in brain and the latter in plasma. It remains to be clarified whether the tumor RCA(+)-BuChE is intrinsic or derived from plasma.

Molecular forms of acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase in human glioma.

Specimens of astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma and medulloblastoma were sequentially extracted with saline and saline-Triton X-100 buffers. Acetyl- (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activities were assayed in the soluble fractions, these being further analyzed to establish the distribution of molecular forms. All the tumors tested showed AChE and BuChE activities, the measured AChE/BuChE ratios being unrelated to the malignant grading. Hydrophilic and amphiphilic AChE and BuChE tetramers, amphiphilic AChE dimers and monomers, and hydrophilic BuChE monomers were identified in all the tumors analyzed. The amphiphilic behavior of the enzyme forms was assessed by sedimentation analysis and hydrophobic chromatography on phenyl-Agarose. A small fraction of glioma AChE monomers was released as, or transformed into, hydrophilic forms by incubation with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PIPLC). These data suggest that AChE monomers bearing distinct hydrophobic domains coexist in human glioma.

Monomers and dimers of acetylcholinesterase in human meningioma are anchored to the membrane by glycosylphosphatidylinositol.

Amphiphilic monomers and dimers of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and hydrophilic tetramers of butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) were released by extracting human meningioma with Tris-saline and Tris-saline-Triton X-100 buffers. The amphiphilic or hydrophilic behavior of the AChE and BuChE forms was assessed by sedimentation analysis, hydrophobic chromatography and Triton X-114 phase-partitioning. A significant fraction of the amphiphilic AChE species was converted into hydrophilic components by incubation of the soluble enzyme with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PIPLC) from Bacillus thuringiensis, this fraction being increased by a double treatment with PIPLC and alkaline hydroxylamine. A significant amount of the membrane-bound AChE was released by incubation with PIPLC. These results demonstrate that AChE forms in meningioma are attached to the membrane via glycosylphosphatidylinositol, although part of the enzyme forms are resistant to PIPLC.