Inhibitor Report for: 217-AO

1. Rabbit peroneal nerves were exposed to echothiophate, a quaternary ammonium inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and 217-AO, its tertiary analogue, in an attempt to characterize the localization of the enzyme. Although 217-AO readily inhibited AChE throughout the nerves, echothiophate spared significant amounts unless the tissues had first been homogenized. Notably, doses of echothiophate inhibiting 84% of the total AChE inhibited only 30% of the rapidly transported enzyme, suggesting that AChE was distributed between compartments differing greatly in their accessibility to this drug. 2. Since charged molecules penetrate cells poorly, it seemed likely that the more accessible compartment of AChE was external, perhaps consisting mainly of enzyme incorporated into the outer surface of the axolemma. If one assumes that the inhibition of the transported enzyme accurately reflected the inhibition throughout the inaccessible compartment, it can be calculated that external AChE comprised about 80% of the total. 3. The quasi-irreversible inhibition of AChE by echothiophate was used to probe the dynamics of the external enzyme. Locally exposing nerves to this drug in vivo markedly inhibited the AChE in a short region, which subsequently recovered with a half-time of about 5 days. Recovery appeared to reflect delivery of new enzyme into the inhibited region rather than spontaneous reactivation or local synthesis of AChE. Surprisingly, the zone of inhibition neither broadened nor moved noticeably for at least 8 days. This implies that external AChE is largely fixed in place and must be renewed locally, presumably by incorporation of rapidly transported enzyme from the internal compartment.

Activation of the acetylcholine receptors of cultured muscle cells by carbamylcholine increases the rate of passive 22-Na+ uptake into the muscle cells up to 20-fold. The Na+ transport activity of the receptor desensitizes during exposure to carbamylcholine. The rate and extent of desensitization is reduced by lowering the assay temperature from 36 degrees to 2 degrees, allowing accurate measurements of initial rates of Na+ transport by the receptor. Activation of the receptor by carbamylcholine and acetylcholine is significantly cooperative (Hill coefficients of 1.4 to 2.0). Inhibition by D-tubocurarine is not cooperative. The carbamylcholine-induced Na+ transport activity of the receptor is inhibited 50% by 4 muM D-tubocurarine, 100 muM atropine, or 1.6 nM diiodo-alpha-bungarotoxin but is not affected by tetrodotoxin. The initial rate of Na+ transport by the receptor is temperature-independent between 2 degrees and 36 degrees. Receptor Na+ transport is saturable by Na+ at 2 degrees with an apparent Km of 150 plus and minus 20 mM. Saturation by Na+ not observed at 36 degrees at the concentrations tested. Saturation by Na+ is observed at 2 degrees both under conditions of net Na+ influx and under conditions of isotopic exchange at equilibrium. The receptor does not catalyze obligatory exchange diffusion at a detectable rate. Comparison of binding of [125-I]diiodo-alpha-bungarotoxin with rates of Na+ transport indicates a turnover number of 2 times 10-7 ions per min per receptor. These results are discussed in terms of the mechanism of Na+ transport by the receptor.