title: Acetylcholinesterase activity in Clytia hemisphaerica (Cnidaria).
abstract: Cholinesterase activity is known in representatives of all living organisms phyla but the origin of the cholinergic system as known in bilaterian animals is still undeciphered. In particular the implication of cholinesterases in the nervous system of non-bilaterian Metazoa is not well known. We thus chose to investigate this activity in the Clytia hemisphaerica (Cnidaria) medusa. In toto histochemical staining revealed an acetylcholinesterase activity in the tentacle bulbs but not in the nervous system. Sequences homologous to acetylcholinesterase were searched within Clytia ESTs and compared to other sequences found in public databases.
authors.affiliation: Equipe Evolution et Développement, UMR 7138, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Denker
authors.forename: Arnaud
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chatonnet
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rabet
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003063:Cnidaria / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase