title: 4-Aminopyridine increases acetylcholine release without diminishing membrane phosphatidylcholine.
abstract: 4-Aminopyridine (10(-4)-10(-5) M) increased severalfold the release of acetylcholine from rat striatal slices superfused with an eserine-containing, choline-free medium, and caused stoichiometric decreases in the release of choline. It had no effect on tissue acetylcholine and choline levels. Electrical stimulation of the striatal slices increased acetylcholine release without affecting that of choline. Superfusion of the stimulated slices with 4-aminopyridine decreased choline release and increased the ratio of acetylcholine to choline in superfusates. As shown previously, electrical stimulation of the striatal slices decreased their contents of phospholipids, principally phosphatidylcholine; 4-aminopyridine fully protected against these membrane changes. In synaptosomal preparations, 4-aminopyridine was found to enhance the high-affinity uptake of [14C]choline and its conversion to [14C]acetylcholine. This effect on choline uptake may underlie 4-aminopyridine's ability to enhance acetylcholine release in the absence of supplemental choline while suppressing the "autocannibalism" of membrane phospholipids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Buyukuysal
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Wurtman
mesh_terms: D015761:4-Aminopyridine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000494:pharmacology; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism*; D006426:Hemicholinium 3 / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D008566:Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014700:Verapamil / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D010743:Phospholipids; D006426:Hemicholinium 3; D013779:Tetrodotoxin; D015761:4-Aminopyridine; D014700:Verapamil; D000109:Acetylcholine; D002118:Calcium