Summary
The ATP content of the cholinergic electromotor nerves of Torpedo marmorata has been measured. After freezing and thawing of pieces of nerve, their ATP content dropped rapidly to about 5 % of that of pieces extracted immediately. The amount of ATP in nerves incubated in Torpedo Ringer remains at a high level over a long period. In nerves ligated for seven days there is no accumulation of total ATP above the ligature. If, however, the ligated nerves are frozen and thawed for 20 min before extraction, the residual ATP shows significant proximal accumulation at the ligature. This transport is not due to the accumulation of mitochondria at the ligature. Acetylcholine, measured in the same nerve extracts of nerve segments, is also axonally transported.
The ATP which is resistant to hydrolysis is probably sequestered within a subcellular organelle. The possibility that its accumulation at ligatures may indicate movement of cholinergic synaptic vesicles which are known to contain ATP and acetylcholine is considered.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Austin, L., Bray, J.J., Young, R.J.: Transport of proteins and ribonucleic acid along nerve axons. J. Neurochem. 13, 1267–1269 (1966)
Berneis, K.M., Da Prada, M., Pletscher, A.: Micelle formation between 5-hydroxytryptamine and adenosine triphosphate in platelet storage organelles. Science 165, 913–914 (1969)
Davies, L.P., Whittaker, V.P.: ATP in cholinergic nerves; evidence for axonal transport of a stable pool. Abstr. 6th int. Meet. int. Soc. Neurochem., Copenhagen, p. 71 (1977)
Davies, L.P., Whittaker, V.P., Zimmermann, H.: Axonal transport in the electromotor nerves of Torpedo marmorata. Exp. Brain Res. 30, 493–510 (1977)
Dowdall, M.J., Boyne, A.F., Whittaker, V.P.: Adenosine triphosphate. A constituent of cholinergic synaptic vesicles. Biochem. J. 140, 1–12 (1974)
Falck, B., Hillarp, N.-A., Högberg, B.: Content and intra-cellular distribution of adenosinetriphosphate in cow adrenal medulla. Acta Physiol. Scand. 36, 360–376 (1956)
Heilbronn, E., Petterson, H.: Acetylcholine and related enzymes in normal and ligated cholinergic nerves from Torpedo marmorata. Acta Physiol. Scand. 88, 590–592 (1973)
Ingoglia, N.A., Grafstein, B., McEwen, B.S., McQuarrie, I.G.: Axonal transport of radioactivity in the goldfish optic system following intra-ocular injection of labelled RNA precursors. J. Neurochem. 20, 1605–1615 (1973)
Lowry, O.H., Rosebrough, N.J., Farr, A.L., Randall, R.J.: Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J. Biol. Chem. 193, 265–275 (1951)
Ochs, S.J.: Fast transport of materials in mammalian nerve fibres. Science 176, 252–260 (1972)
Rose, G., Schubert, P.: Release and transfer of [3H] adenosine derivatives in the cholinergic septal system. Brain Res. 121, 353–357 (1977)
Schubert, P., Kreutzberg, G.W.: Dendritic and axonal transport of nucleoside derivatives in single motoneurons and release from dendrites. Brain Res. 90, 319–323 (1975)
Stanley, P.E., Williams, S.G.: Use of the liquid scintillation spectrometer for determining adenosine triphosphate by the luciferase enzyme. Analyt. Biochem. 29, 381–392 (1969)
Ulmar, G., Whittaker, V.P.: Immunohistochemical localization and immunoelectrophoresis of cholinergic synaptic vesicle protein constituents from Torpedo. Brain Res. 71, 155–159 (1974)
Whittaker, V.P., Zimmermann, H., Dowdall, M.J.: The biochemistry of cholinergic synapses as exemplified by the electric organ of Torpedo. J. Neural Transm. Suppl. XII, 39–60 (1975)
Widlund, L., Pettersson, H., Heilbronn, E.: Origin of presynaptic acetylcholine studied on cholinergic neurons from Torpedo marmorata. In: Cholinergic mechanisms (ed. P.G. Waser), pp. 187–198. New York: Raven Press 1975
Yen, S.-S., Klein, R.L., Chen-Yen, S.-H., Thureson-Klein, A.: Norepinephrine: adenosine-triphosphate ratios in purified adrenergic vesicles. J. Neurobiol. 7, 11–22 (1976)
Zimmermann, H., Whittaker, V. P.: Evidence for axonal flow of acetylcholine (ACh) in cholinergic nerves. Abstr. 4th int. Meet. int. Soc. Neurochem., Tokyo, p. 245 (1973)
Zimmermann, H., Whittaker, V.P.: Effect of electrical stimulation on the yield and composition of synaptic vesicles from the cholinergic synapses of the electric organ of Torpedo: A combined biochemical, electrophysiological and morphological study. J. Neurochem. 22, 435–450 (1974)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Davies, L.P. ATP in cholinergic nerves: Evidence for the axonal transport of a stable pool. Exp Brain Res 33, 149–157 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00238056
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00238056