title: Bone status of acetylcholinesterase-knockout mice.
abstract: Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) hydrolyzes acetylcholine (ACh) to acetate and choline and thereby terminates nerve impulse transmission. ACh is also expressed in bone tissue and enhances here proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts, which makes it interesting to investigate effects of AChE deficiency on bone. To our knowledge, this is the first study that analyzed bone of heterozygous acetylcholinesterase-knockout (AChE-KO) mice. Tibia, femur, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae of 16-week-old female heterozygous AChE-KO mice and their corresponding wildtypes (WT) were analyzed using real-time RT-PCR, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, biomechanics, micro-computed tomography, histology and histomorphometry. Our data revealed that heterozygous AChE-KO did not cause negative effects upon bone parameters analyzed. In contrast, the number of osteoclasts per perimeter was significantly reduced in lumbar vertebrae. In addition, we found a significant decrease in trabecular perimeter of lumbar vertebrae and cortical area fraction (Ct.Ar/Tt.Ar) in the mid-diaphysis of femurs of AChE-KO mice compared to their WT. Therefore, presumably a local homozygous knockout of AChE or AChE-inhibitor administration might be beneficial for bone formation due to ACh accumulation. However, many other bone parameters analyzed did not differ statistically significantly between AChE-KO and WT mice. That might be reasoned by the compensating effect of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE).
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Trauma Surgery, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Schubertstr. 81, 35392 Giessen, Germany. Electronic address: Vivien.Kauschke@chiru.med.uni-giessen.de.
authors.forename: Vivien
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kauschke
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Trauma Surgery, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Schubertstr. 81, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kneffel
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Trauma Surgery, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Schubertstr. 81, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Floel
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Trauma Surgery, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Schubertstr. 81, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital of Giessen-Marburg, Klinikstr. 33, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kampschulte
authors.affiliation: Institute of Orthopaedic Research and Biomechanics, University of Ulm, Medical Faculty, Helmholtzstr. 14, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Lutz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dürselen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Orthopaedic Research and Biomechanics, University of Ulm, Medical Faculty, Helmholtzstr. 14, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ignatius
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Trauma Surgery, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Schubertstr. 81, 35392 Giessen, Germany; Department of Trauma Surgery, University Hospital of Giessen-Marburg, Rudolph-Buchheimstr. 7, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schnettler
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Trauma Surgery, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Schubertstr. 81, 35392 Giessen, Germany; Department of Trauma Surgery, University Hospital of Giessen-Marburg, Rudolph-Buchheimstr. 7, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Heiss
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Trauma Surgery, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Schubertstr. 81, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Katrin Susanne
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lips
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D015519:Bone Density / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase
keywords: Acetylcholinesterase; Bone; Knockout; Mouse