Rapid changes in levels of individual molecular forms of acetylcholinesterase after denervation of mouse sternocleidomastoid muscle

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Abstract
Experimental denervation of adult mouse sternocleidomastoid muscle results in a decrease in total AChE [acetylcholinesterase]. The most rapid change essentially affects the tailed, asymmetric 16 S AChE, since 1 day after nerve section, 16 S AChE is already significantly decreased to .apprx. 70% of its control value. Both background and junctional 16 S AChE are affected by this rapid decrease. Later, a sharp fall in 10 S and 4 S AChE occurs about 7 days after denervation when muscle atrophy develops with loss of weight and proteins. A gaussian analysis of the sedimentation profiles of AChE extracted from denervated muscle shows that there is not only an early rapid decrease in 16 S AChE but also a decrease in the monomeric 3.3 S AChE. There is a very rapid turn-over of 2 molecular forms of AChE, the supposedly monomeric precursor and the complex asymmetric 16 S AChE.