Quantal acetylcholine release induced by mediatophore transfection.
Mediatophore is a protein of approximately 200 kDa able to translocate acetylcholine in response to calcium. It was purified from the presynaptic plasma membranes of the electric organ nerve terminals. Mediatophore is a homooligomer of a 16-kDa subunit, homologous to the proteolipid of V-ATPase. Cells of the N18TG-2 neuronal line are not able to produce quantal acetylcholine release. We show here that transfection of N18TG-2 cells with a plasmid encoding the mediatophore subunit restored calcium-dependent release. The essential feature of such a release was its quantal nature, similar to what is observed in situ in cholinergic synapses from which mediatophore was purified.
Falk-Vairant
J
J
Département Pharmacologie, C.M.U., CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
Corrèges
P
P
Eder-Colli
L
L
Salem
N
N
Roulet
E
E
Bloc
A
A
Meunier
F
F
Lesbats
B
B
Loctin
F
F
Synguelakis
M
M
Israel
M
M
Dunant
Y
Y
D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002999:Clone Cells; D015870:Gene Expression; D007700:Kinetics; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D009447:Neuroblastoma; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D014101:Torpedo; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C050299:mediatophore; D000109:Acetylcholine