title: Phospholipid-derived choline intermediates and acetylcholine synthesis in mouse brain synaptosomes.
abstract: Endogenous free choline levels and acetylcholine (ACh) synthesis in nerve terminals were investigated using cerebral cortical synaptosomes of C57BL/6 mice. Endogenous choline was produced at a rate ten-fold faster than ACh to provide levels adequate for the formation of the latter. The combined pool size of the water-soluble intermediates derived from phosphatidylcholine (PhC), such as glycerophosphorylcholine (GpCh) and phosphorylcholine (PCh), increased significantly during the first 10-15 min of incubation and was always higher than that of free choline. These results most likely indicate an effective degradation of PhC by the combined action of phospholipase A2/lysophospholipase, as well as by phospholipase C in synaptosomes. ACh synthesis proceeded at a constant rate in the presence or absence of exogenous free choline (0-10 microM) and was almost entirely abolished in the presence of 10(-6) M hemicholinium-3. These results suggest that ACh is effectively synthesized by free choline generated in synaptosomes by a coupling mechanism involving the high-affinity choline uptake system. No changes in the production rates of choline and ACh were observed between adult and aged mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yavin
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ando
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006426:Hemicholinium 3 / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000378:metabolism*; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D006426:Hemicholinium 3; D002794:Choline; D000109:Acetylcholine