Verdiere-Sahuque_1990_Neurosci.Lett_117_341

In primary cell cultures of rat superior cervical ganglia (SCG) the tailed asymmetric 16S molecular form of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) possesses hydrophilic (high-salt soluble, HSS) and hydrophobic (detergent extracted, DE) variants. Hydrophobic tailed acetylcholinesterase is associated with membranes through a glycolipid anchor. In the presence of tunicamycin, an antibiotic which inhibits protein glycosylation, the cellular amount of the hydrophobic DE 16S AChE is increased. Exposure of the cells to the calcium ionophore A 23187 leads to a decrease in DE 16S AChE and a correlated increase in hydrophilic HSS 16S AChE. These results suggest the existence of an endogenous processing of tailed AChE, transforming the hydrophobic variant into an hydrophilic one controlled through glycosylation and intracellular calcium.