Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Expression and Localization of PRiMA-Linked Globular Form Acetylcholinesterase in Vertebrate Neuromuscular Junctions

  • Published:
Journal of Molecular Neuroscience Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is well known to process different molecular forms via the distinct interacting partners. Proline-rich membrane anchor (PRiMA)-linked tetrameric globular AChE (G4 AChE) is mainly found in the vertebrate brain; however, recent studies from our laboratory have suggested its existence at neuromuscular junctions (nmjs). Both muscle and motor neuron express AChE at the nmjs. In muscle, the expression of PRiMA-linked AChE is down-regulated during myogenic differentiation and by motor neuron innervation. As compared with muscle, spinal cord possessed higher total AChE activity and contained PRiMA-linked AChE forms. The spinal cord expression of this form increased during development. More importantly, PRiMA-linked G4 AChE identified as aggregates localized at nmjs. These findings suggest that the restricted localization of PRiMA-linked G4 AChE at the nmjs could be contributed by the pre-synaptic motor neuron and/or the post-synaptic muscle fiber.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anglister, L. (1991). Acetylcholinesterase from the motor nerve terminal accumulates on the synaptic basal lamina of the myofiber. Journal of Cell Biology, 115, 755–764.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bacou, F. (1982). Acetylcholinesterase forms in fast and slow rabbit muscle. Nature, 296, 661–664.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boudreau-Larivière, C., Chan, R. Y., Wu, J., & Jasmin, B. J. (2000). Molecular mechanisms underlying the activity-linked alterations in acetylcholinesterase mRNAs in developing versus adult rat skeletal muscles. Journal of Neurochemistry, 74, 2250–2258.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bradford, M. M. (1976). A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Analytical Biochemistry, 72, 248–254.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Choi, R. C. Y., Mok, M. K., Cheung, A. W., Siow, N. L., Xie, H. Q., & Tsim, K. W. K. (2008). Regulation of PRiMA-linked G4 AChE by a cAMP-dependent signaling pathway in cultured rat pheochromocyoma PC12 cells. Chemico-Biological Interactions, 175, 76–78.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De la Porte, S., Vallette, F. M., Grassi, J., Vigny, M., & Koenig, J. (1986). Presynaptic or postsynaptic origin of acetylcholinesterase in heterologous nerve-muscle cocultures. Developmental Biology, 116, 69–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Falasca, C., Perrier, N., Massoulié, J., & Bon, S. (2005). Determinants of the t peptide involved in folding, degradation and secretion of acetylcholinesterase. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 280, 878–886.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, J. X. S., Choi, R. C. Y., Siow, N. L., Lee, H. H. C., Wan, D. C. C., & Tsim, K. W. K. (2003). Muscle induces neuronal expression of acetylcholinesterase in neuron-muscle co-culture: Transcriptional regulation mediated by cAMP-dependent signaling. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 278, 45435–45444.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, H. H., Choi, R. C., Ting, A. K., Siow, N. L., Jiang, J. X., Massoulié, J., et al. (2004). Transcriptional regulation of acetylcholinesterase-associated collagen ColQ: Differential expression in fast and slow twitch muscle fibers is driven by distinct promoters. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 279, 27098–27107.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leung, K. W., Xie, H. Q., Chen, V. P., Mok, M. K. W., Chu, G. K. Y., Choi, R. C. Y., et al. (2009). Restricted localization of proline-rich membrane anchor (PRiMA) of globular form acetylcholinesterase at the neuromuscular junctions: Contribution and expression from motor neurons. FEBS J, 276, 3031–3042.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Loeb, J. A., & Fischbach, G. D. (1997). Neurotrophic factors increase neuregulin expression in embryonic ventral spinl cord neurons. Journal of Neuroscience, 17, 1416–1424.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lyles, J. M., Silman, I., & Barnard, E. A. (1979). Developmental changes in levels and forms of cholinesterases in muscles of normal and dystrophic chickens. Journal of Neurochemistry, 33, 727–738.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Massoulié, J. (1993). Molecular and cellular biology of cholinesterases. Progress in Neurobiology, 41, 31–91.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Massoulié, J. (2002). The origin of the molecular diversity and functional anchoring of cholinesterases. Neurosignals, 11, 130–143.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Massoulié, J., Bon, S., Perrier, N., & Falasca, C. (2005). The C-terminal peptides of acetylcholinesterase: Cellular trafficking, oligomerization and functional anchoring. Chemico-Biological Interactions, 157–158, 3–14.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McMahan, U. J., Sanes, J. R., & Marshall, L. M. (1987). Cholinesterase is associated with the asal lamina at the neuromuscular junction. Nature, 271, 172–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perrier, A. L., Massoulié, J., & Krejci, E. (2002). PriMA: The membrane anchor of acetylcholinesterase in the brain. Neuron, 33, 275–285.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Perrier, N. A., Khérif, S., Perrier, A. L., Dumas, S., Mallet, J., & Massoulié, J. (2003). Expression of PRiMA in the mouse brain: Membrane anchoring and accumulation of ‘tailed’ acetylcholinesterase. European Journal of Neuroscience, 18, 1837–1847.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tsim, K. W. K., Choi, R. C. Y., Dong, T. T. X., & Wan, D. C. C. (1997). A globular, not asymmetric, form of acetylcholinesterase is expressed in chick motor neurons: Down-regulation toward maturity and after denervation. Journal of Neurochemistry, 68, 479–487.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wan, D. C., Ng, Y. P., Choi, R. C. Y., Cheung, P. W., Dong, T. T., & Tsim, K. W. K. (1997). Denervation decreases the ipsilateral expression of AChE in chick lumbric motor neurons. Neuroscience Letters, 232, 83–86.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Xie, H. Q., Choi, R. C. Y., Leung, K. W., Siow, N. L., Kong, L. W., Lau, F. T. C., et al. (2007). Regulation of a transcript encoding the proline-rich membrane anchor of globular muscle acatelycholinesterase. The suppressive roles of myogenesis and innervating nerves. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 282, 11765–11775.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Xie, H. Q., Choi, R. C. Y., Leung, W. K. W., Chen, V. P., Chu, G. K. Y., & Tsim, K. W. K. (2009). Transcriptional regulation of proline-rich membrane anchor (PRiMA) of globular form acetylcholinesterase in neuron: An inductive effect of neuron differentiation. Brain Res, 1265, 13–23.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The research was supported by grants from Research Grants Council (HKUST6419/06M, 662407, 662608, and N_HKUST629/07) of the Hong Kong SAR to KWKT.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay Road, Hong Kong, China

    K. Wing Leung, Ka Wai Mok, Vicky P. Chen, Kevin Y. Zhu, Judy T. T. Zhu, Ava J. Y. Guo, Cathy W. C. Bi, Ken Y. Z. Zheng, David T. W. Lau, Heidi Q. Xie & Roy C. Y. Choi

  2. Department of Biology, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay Road, Hong Kong, SAR, China

    Karl W. K. Tsim

Authors
  1. Karl W. K. Tsim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K. Wing Leung
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ka Wai Mok
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Vicky P. Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Kevin Y. Zhu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Judy T. T. Zhu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Ava J. Y. Guo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Cathy W. C. Bi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Ken Y. Z. Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. David T. W. Lau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Heidi Q. Xie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Roy C. Y. Choi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karl W. K. Tsim.

Additional information

Proceedings of the XIII International Symposium on Cholinergic Mechanisms

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tsim, K.W.K., Leung, K.W., Mok, K.W. et al. Expression and Localization of PRiMA-Linked Globular Form Acetylcholinesterase in Vertebrate Neuromuscular Junctions. J Mol Neurosci 40, 40–46 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-009-9251-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-009-9251-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation