Mammalian glial cells in culture synthesize acetylcholine.
In the present study we demonstrate that acetylcholine is synthesized by cultured mammalian glial cells identified by cell-type specific markers. Primary cultures of rat brain astrocytes or microglia contained 2.0 and 1.6 pmol acetylcholine/10(6) cells on average respectively. Astrocyte cultures established from neonatal mouse brain contained even more acetylcholine (about 80 pmol acetylcholine/10(6) cells). Primary cultures of rat brain astrocytes showed choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) enzyme activity of 3 nmol/mg protein/h; ChAT activity was blocked by 10 microM bromoacetylcholine. In conclusion, these data demonstrate the synthesis of the "neurotransmitter" acetylcholine in cultured glial cells, a finding which opens a new view upon the role of acetylcholine in mammalian brain.
Wessler
I
I
Department of Pharmacology, University of Mainz, Germany.
Reinheimer
T
T
Klapproth
H
H
Schneider
F J
FJ
Racké
K
K
Hammer
R
R
D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D051379:Mice; D017628:Microglia / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats
D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D000109:Acetylcholine