title: Acetylcholinesterase hydrolyses chromogranin A to yield low molecular weight peptides.
abstract: The major soluble protein of bovine chromaffin granules chromogranin A was purified by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Brief incubations with either acetylcholinesterase or trypsin cleaved chromogranin A to yield two chromogranin-immunoreactive polypeptides which were similar in molecular weight to two of the major endogenous chromogranin polypeptides. A number of peptidase inhibitors which strongly inhibited tryptic digestion of chromogranin A also inhibited the acetylcholinesterase digestion, although they were less potent. More prolonged digestion of chromogranin A with acetylcholinesterase produced a large number of peptides which were similar to some of the endogenous chromogranin peptides in their elution profile by high performance liquid chromatography. In contrast, complete tryptic digestion of chromogranin A yielded peptides with a totally different elution profile. The experiments indicate that acetylcholinesterase possesses a peptidase activity which is similar, but not identical to trypsin, and suggest that a second non-tryptic activity is also present. They also suggest that acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme found in chromaffin cells, may process chromogranin A to yield lower molecular weight chromogranins in bovine chromaffin cells.
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D053379:Chromogranin A; D002864:Chromogranins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006868:Hydrolysis; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D014357:Trypsin / Q000378:metabolism; D014361:Trypsin Inhibitors
chemical_list: D053379:Chromogranin A; D002864:Chromogranins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010455:Peptides; D014361:Trypsin Inhibitors; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase; D014357:Trypsin