title: Acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase of developing human brain.
abstract: Acetylcholinesterase (AchE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuchE) activities were studied in 20,000 g supernatant (S) and pellet (P) fractions of cerebrum1, caudate nucleus and cerebellum regions of human brain between the gestational ages of 20 and 40 weeks. On a per gram wet tissue basis, cerebrum and cerebellum had 60% and caudate nucleus had 80% of AchE activity present at 20-22 weeks as compared to 38-40 weeks of gestation. Specific activity (SA) of AchE did not change appreciably with gestational age in any of the P fractions. In S fractions of cerebrum and cerebullum there was about a 1.5-fold increase during this period. BuchE SA and activity per gram tissue in P and S fractions of cerebrum and cerebellum increased by 1.5- to 3-fold and decreased by about the same order of magnitude in caudate nucleus, during 20-40 weeks of gestation.
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002091:Butyrylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism*; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D002802:Cholinesterases / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase; D002091:Butyrylcholinesterase; D002802:Cholinesterases