Coussen_1995_Eur.J.Cell.Biol_67_254

We obtained a stable expression of acetylcholinesterase (AChE, E.C. 3.1.1.7) in the rat basoleukemia cell line, RBL-2H3, which possesses a well developed secretory pathway, but expresses only very little endogenous AChE. Metabolic labeling showed that AChEH and AChET, differing by C-terminal peptides encoded by alternatively spliced exons, were synthesized at a similar rate. When transfected with AChEH, RBL cells efficiently produced GPI-anchored dimers, which were mostly exposed at the cell surface, as shown both by activity and immunofluorescence labeling. In contrast, when transfected with AChET, RBL cells produced about tenfold less activity, which was essentially retained in the cell, and the enzyme could not be detected at the cell surface by immunolabeling. The fate of the enzyme is therefore determined by its C-terminal alternative peptides. We were also able to coexpress the AChET subunit with the collagenic Q subunit. The cells produced small but significant amounts of collagen-tailed forms, essentially A4. The expression of these different catalytic and structural subunits in stably transfected RBL cells will be useful to explore the regulated posttranslational processes involved in protein maturation and transport.