Quantitative studies on enzymes in structures in striated muscles by labeled inhibitor methods. II. Confirmation of radioautographic measurement by liquid-scintillation counting.

ABSTRACT

Fragments of mouse diaphragm and sternomastoid muscles were incubated in diisopropyl-fluorophosphate (DFP)-(3)H in conditions known to saturate all the available DFP-sensitive reaction sites. After being extensively washed, the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChase) was specifically reactivated by treatment with pyridine-2-aldoxime methiodide (2-PAM). The radioactive DP-groups released into solution by 2-PAM were measured by liquid scintillation counting, and related to the known number of motor endplates present. Considerable difficulty was encountered in reducing the excess, adsorbed radioactivity to acceptable levels long washing routines, extraction with organic solvents, and removing excess muscle fiber by microdissection were necessary. Six experiments gave a mean value of 2.4 x 10(7)molecules AChase per sternomastoid endplate, in reasonable agreement with the previously reported measurements by radioautography.