Properties and partial purification of choline acetyltransferase from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Acetylcholine signaling genes are required for cocaine-stimulated egg laying in Caenorhabditis elegans

The toxicity and addictive liability associated with cocaine abuse are well-known. However, its mode of action is not completely understood, and effective pharmacotherapeutic interventions remain elusive. The cholinergic effects of cocaine on acetylcholine receptors, synthetic enzymes, and degradative enzymes have been the focus of relatively little empirical investigation. Due to its genetic tractability and anatomical simplicity, the egg laying circuit of the hermaphroditic nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, is a powerful model system to precisely examine the genetic and molecular targets of cocaine in vivo. Here, we report a novel cocaine-induced behavioral phenotype in C. elegans, cocaine-stimulated egg laying. In addition, we present the results of an in vivo candidate suppression screen of synthetic enzymes, receptors, degradative enzymes, and downstream components of the intracellular signaling cascades of the main neurotransmitter systems that control C. elegans egg laying. Our results show that cocaine-stimulated egg laying is dependent on acetylcholine synthesis and synaptic release, functional nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, and the C. elegans acetylcholinesterases.

Analysis of C. elegans acetylcholine synthesis mutants reveals a temperature-sensitive requirement for cholinergic neuromuscular function

In Caenorhabditis elegans, the cha-1 gene encodes choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the enzyme that synthesizes the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. We have analyzed a large number of cha-1 hypomorphic mutants, most of which are missense alleles. Some homozygous cha-1 mutants have approximately normal ChAT immunoreactivity; many other alleles lead to consistent reductions in synaptic immunostaining, although the residual protein appears to be stable. Regardless of protein levels, neuromuscular function of almost all mutants is temperature sensitive, i.e., neuromuscular function is worse at 25° than at 14°. We show that the temperature effects are not related to acetylcholine release, but specifically to alterations in acetylcholine synthesis. This is not a temperature-dependent developmental phenotype, because animals raised at 20° to young adulthood and then shifted for 2 hours to either 14° or 25° had swimming and pharyngeal pumping rates similar to animals grown and assayed at either 14° or 25°, respectively. We also show that the temperature-sensitive phenotypes are not limited to missense alleles; rather, they are a property of most or all severe cha-1 hypomorphs. We suggest that our data are consistent with a model of ChAT protein physically, but not covalently, associated with synaptic vesicles; and there is a temperature-dependent equilibrium between vesicle-associated and cytoplasmic (i.e., soluble) ChAT. Presumably, in severe cha-1 hypomorphs, increasing the temperature would promote dissociation of some of the mutant ChAT protein from synaptic vesicles, thus removing the site of acetylcholine synthesis (ChAT) from the site of vesicular acetylcholine transport. This, in turn, would decrease the rate and extent of vesicle-filling, thus increasing the severity of the behavioral deficits.

Cholinergic transmission in C. elegans: Functions, diversity, and maturation of ACh-activated ion channels

Acetylcholine is an abundant neurotransmitter in all animals. Effects of acetylcholine are excitatory, inhibitory, or modulatory depending on the receptor and cell type. Research using the nematode C. elegans has made ground-breaking contributions to the mechanistic understanding of cholinergic transmission. Powerful genetic screens for behavioral mutants or for responses to pharmacological reagents identified the core cellular machinery for synaptic transmission. Pharmacological reagents that perturb acetylcholine-mediated processes led to the discovery and also uncovered the composition and regulators of acetylcholine-activated channels and receptors. From a combination of electrophysiological and molecular cellular studies, we have gained a profound understanding of cholinergic signaling at the levels of synapses, neural circuits, and animal behaviors. This review will begin with a historical overview, then cover in-depth current knowledge on acetylcholine-activated ionotropic receptors, mechanisms regulating their functional expression and their functions in regulating locomotion.

Peripheral type of choline acetyltransferase: biological and evolutionary implications for novel mechanisms in cholinergic system

The peripheral type of choline acetyltransferase (pChAT) is an isoform of the well-studied common type of choline acetyltransferase (cChAT), the synthesizing enzyme of acetylcholine. Since pChAT arises by exons skipping, its amino acid sequence is similar to that of cChAT, except the lack of a continuous peptide sequence encoded by all the four exons from 6 to 9. While cChAT expression has been observed in both the central and peripheral nervous systems, pChAT is preferentially expressed in the peripheral nervous system. pChAT appears to be a reliable marker for the visualization of peripheral cholinergic neurons and their processes, whereas other conventional markers including cChAT have not been used successfully for it. In mammals like rodents, pChAT immunoreactivity has been observed in most, if not all, physiologically identified peripheral cholinergic structures such as all parasympathetic postganglionic neurons and most neurons of the enteric nervous system. In addition, pChAT has been found in many peripheral neurons that are derived from the neural crest. These include sensory neurons of the trigeminal ganglion and the dorsal root ganglion, and sympathetic postganglionic neurons. Recent studies moreover indicate that pChAT, as well as cChAT, appears ubiquitously expressed among various species not only of vertebrate mammals but also of invertebrate mollusks. This finding implies that the alternative splicing mechanism to generate pChAT and cChAT has been preserved during evolution, probably for some functional benefits.

Episodic swimming behavior in the nematode C. elegans

Controlling the choice of behavioral output is a central function of the nervous system. Here we document a novel spontaneous behavioral transition in C. elegans locomotion. Upon transfer of the nematode from a solid surface into a liquid environment, swimming occurs in two phases: an initial, 1-2 h phase of continuous swimming, followed by a second phase during which swimming is episodic. During the second, episodic phase, periods of active swimming alternate in a highly regular fashion with a quiescent state lasting for several minutes. We analyzed the nature of the quiescent state and the basis for spontaneous switching between swimming and quiescence. The transition from swimming to quiescence is promoted by acetylcholine signaling and initially during quiescence body wall muscles are in a state of contraction. After the first minute, quiescent worms respond to prodding and resume swimming normally. The major command interneurons that control the locomotory circuits are not necessary for quiescence since swimming-quiescence cycling occurs after ablation of command interneurons. However, when subsets of neurons including the command interneurons are killed, the switching pattern becomes less regular, suggesting that a timer governing switching may lie within circuitry controlling motor neurons. The results show that the motor circuits have a tendency to switch spontaneously between active and inactive behavioral states. This property might be important to the animal in a uniform environment where sensory input is invariant.

Identification of major classes of cholinergic neurons in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

The neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) is specifically synthesized by the enzyme choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). Subsequently, it is loaded into synaptic vesicles by a specific vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT). We have generated antibodies that recognize ChAT or VAChT in a model organism, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, in order to examine the subcellular and cellular distributions of these cholinergic proteins. ChAT and VAChT are found in the same neurons, including more than one-third of the 302 total neurons present in the adult hermaphrodite. VAChT is found in synaptic regions, whereas ChAT appears to exist in two forms in neurons, a synapse-enriched form and a more evenly distributed possibly cytosolic form. We have used antibodies to identify the cholinergic neurons in the body of larval and adult hermaphrodites. All of the classes of putative excitatory motor neurons in the ventral nerve cord appear to be cholinergic: the DA and DB neurons in the first larval stage and the AS, DA, DB, VA, VB, and VC neurons in the adult. In addition, several interneurons with somas in the tail and processes in the tail or body are cholinergic; sensory neurons are generally not cholinergic. Description of the normal pattern of cholinergic proteins and neurons will improve our understanding of the role of cholinergic neurons in the behavior and development of this model organism.

Neurogenetics of vesicular transporters in C. elegans

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has a number of advantages for the analysis of synaptic molecules. These include a simple nervous system in which all cells are identified and synaptic connectivity is known and reproducible, a large collection of mutants and powerful methods of genetic analysis, simple methods for the generation and analysis of transgenic animals, and a number of relatively simple quantifiable behaviors. Studies in C. elegans have made major contributions to our understanding of vesicular transmitter transporters. Two of the four classes of vesicular transporters so far identified (VAChT and VGAT) were first described and cloned in C. elegans; in both cases, the genes were first identified and cloned by means of mutations causing a suggestive phenotype (1, 2). The phenotypes of eat-4 mutants and the cell biology of the EAT-4 protein were critical in the identification of this protein as the vesicular glutamate transporter (3, 4). In addition, the unusual gene structure associated with the cholinergic locus was first described in C. elegans (5). The biochemical properties of the nematode transporters are surprisingly similar to their vertebrate counterparts, and they can be assayed under similar conditions using the same types of mammalian cells (6, 7). In addition, mild and severe mutants (including knockouts) are available for each of the four C. elegans vesicular transporters, which has permitted a careful evaluation of the role(s) of vesicular transport in transmitter-specific behaviors. Accordingly, it seems appropriate at this time to present the current status of the field. In this review, we will first discuss the properties of C. elegans vesicular transporters and transporter mutants, and then explore some of the lessons and insights C. elegans research has provided to the field of vesicular transport.

Exploring the neurotransmitter labyrinth in nematodes

Nematodes include both free-living species such as Caenorhabditis elegans and major parasites of humans, livestock and plants. The apparent simplicity and uniformity of their nervous system belies a rich diversity of putative signalling molecules, particularly neuropeptides. This new appreciation stems largely from the genome-sequencing project with C. elegans, which is due to be completed by the end of 1998. The project has provided additional insights into other aspects of nematode neurobiology, as have studies on the mechanism of action of anthelmintics. Here, progress on the identification, localization, synthesis and physiological actions of transmitters identified in nematodes is explored.

Parallel regional quantification of choline acetyltransferase and cholinesterase activity in the central nervous system of an invertebrate (Sepia officinalis)

The present study describes (i) a procedure to dissect the central nervous system of the cuttlefish (Cephalopod) into ten, functionally distinct, anatomical regions of interest and (ii) the parallel measurement of acetylcholine synthesis (choline acetyltransferase) and degradation (cholinesterase) activities. Both aspects (dissection and parallel quantification of acetylcholine synthesis and degradation) could be of great importance for quantitative regional studies in neurochemistry in this animal model, it is interesting to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in learning and aging processes. The parallel quantification of acetylcholine synthesis and degradation applicable to any animal model is pivotal since both enzymes are essential for the cholinergic neurotransmission and may be differentially modulated by specific functions such as learning and aging processes. Furthermore, since choline acetyltransferase and cholinesterase show different localization into the brain, their parallel quantification may underlie the involvement of cholinesterase in non-cholinergic functions, which remain unclear throughout the animal kingdom.

The Caenorhabditis elegans unc-17 gene: a putative vesicular acetylcholine transporter

Mutations in the unc-17 gene of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans produce deficits in neuromuscular function. This gene was cloned and complementary DNAs were sequenced. On the basis of sequence similarity to mammalian vesicular transporters of biogenic amines and of localization to synaptic vesicles of cholinergic neurons in C. elegans, unc-17 likely encodes the vesicular transporter of acetylcholine. Mutations that eliminated all unc-17 gene function were lethal, suggesting that the acetylcholine transporter is essential. Molecular analysis of unc-17 mutations will allow the correlation of specific parts of the gene (and the protein) with observed functional defects. The mutants will also be useful for the isolation of extragenic suppressors, which could identify genes encoding proteins that interact with UNC-17.

Genomic organization of Drosophila choline acetyltransferase

Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT; acetyl-CoA:choline-O-acetyltransferase; EC 2.3.1.6) is the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and is thus the genetic determinant of neurons with a cholinergic phenotype. We have screened a Drosophila genomic library using a cRNA probe, transcribed from Drosophila ChAT cDNA, and isolated three independent clones representing all the exons of this gene. The gene spans more than 26 kb of DNA and is organized into eight exons containing 594, 80, 192, 759, 408, 147, 201, and 1,612 nucleotides. All inserts that hybridized with a cRNA probe have been subcloned and the sequence of intron/exon boundaries determined. The only part of the ChAT gene not represented in our clones is a part of the first intron. A minimum size for this uncloned DNA has been deduced from Southern analysis of Drosophila genomic DNA. We also have probed the transcripts of the ChAT gene by northern analysis of total Drosophila RNA using two different exon-specific antisense RNA probes. An exon I probe detected two bands of RNA whereas an exon VIII probe hybridized with only the smaller band, previously identified as ChAT mRNA. These results indicate a complex transcription pattern for the ChAT locus in Drosophila.

Purification and isolation of choline acetyltransferase from the electric organ of Torpedo marmorata by affinity chromatography

Choline acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.6) catalyzes the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from acetylcoenzyme A and choline. It has been purified from the electric organ of Torpedo marmorata by a new double-affinity chromatography. Our rapid and specific purification procedure includes affinity chromatography on CoA-Sepharose and then a second affinity chromatography on the enzyme's inhibitor [2-[3-(2-ammonioethoxy)-benzoyl]ethyl]trimethylammonium bromide coupled to Sepharose via a six-carbon spacer arm. The final enzyme preparation has been purified 7300-fold to a specific activity of 73 mumol acetylcholine formed min-1 mg protein-1. The isolated enzyme gave a single band on disc polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The relative molecular mass was determined to be 68,300 +/- 2100.

Filarial parasites exhibit unusually high levels of choline acetyltransferase activity

The presence of unusually high levels of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT, EC 2.3.1.6) in human and animal filarial parasites has been demonstrated. The levels of ChAT were highest in male worms of Brugia malayi and Brugia pahangi, with specific activities in crude extracts of about 2.27 and 1.26 mumol min-1 (mg protein)-1, respectively. The enzyme levels in these worms were over 10-20 times higher than in male worms of Litomosoides carinii. The ChAT levels were about 2-5 times higher in male than in female worms. The enzyme was also present in appreciably high levels in microfilariae of Brugia species, L. carinii and Wuchereria bancrofti. The levels of ChAT in male worms of Brugia species were several thousand-fold higher than in the intestinal nematodes Trichuris muris and Necator americanus, and were over three orders of magnitude higher than in mammalian brain. Unlike the mammalian ChAT, the parasite enzyme was extremely stable. The parasite enzyme was not inhibited by any of the antifilarial agents except suramin. The filarial ChAT was strongly inhibited by sulphydryl reagents and diethylpyrocarbonate. Ethacrynic acid (EA), a diuretic and a sulphydryl reagent, irreversibly inhibited the filarial ChAT activity at low concentrations. In contrast, EA inhibited the activity of mammalian brain ChAT at much higher concentrations. The motility of adult worms and microfilariae was irreversibly inhibited by low concentrations of EA. Furthermore, the inhibition of motility was paralleled by the inactivation of ChAT in these parasites. These studies indicate that ChAT activity appears to be vital for parasite's survival and that acetylcholine might play a key role in the control of worm motility.

Purification of choline acetyltransferase from the locust Schistocerca gregaria and production of serum antibodies to this enzyme

Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT; EC 2.3.1.6) was purified from the heads of Schistocerca gregaria to a final specific activity of 1.61 mumol acetylcholine (ACh) formed min-1 mg-1 protein. The molecular mass of the enzyme as determined by gel filtration is 66,800 daltons. The final enzyme preparation showed one major band at 65,000 daltons on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, which corresponds with the native molecular mass of the enzyme, a band at 56,000 daltons, and two bands at 40,500 and 38,000 daltons. Antibodies raised against ChAT in rabbit react only with the active band on native gel after Western blotting. They strongly react with the 65,000-dalton polypeptide band on Western blots of SDS gel separation of pure preparation of enzyme and with both the 65,000- and 56,000-dalton bands after SDS gel separation of crude extract.

Production of polyclonal antisera to choline acetyltransferase using a fusion protein produced by a cDNA clone

A fusion protein containing a Drosophila choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) cDNA insert was purified from a lambda gtll lysate of Escherichia coli. The cDNA insert, which contained a 728-amino acid coding region for ChAT, was used for immunizing rabbits. Three different antisera were produced that could recognize native Drosophila ChAT with low titer. In addition, all three antisera stained enzyme polypeptides using the Western blot technique at high titers. The antisera recognized ChAT polypeptides with molecular masses of 67 and 54 kilodaltons in Western blots of partially purified enzyme; these polypeptides had previously been identified using monoclonal anti-ChAT antibodies and are the major components of completely purified enzyme. It was surprising that when these antisera were used to stain Western blots of Drosophila head homogenates, the major immunoreactive band had a molecular mass of 75 kilodaltons. The relationship of this 75-kilodalton polypeptide to ChAT activity was investigated by fractionating fresh fly head homogenates using rapid HPLC gel filtration chromatography. Analysis of column fractions for enzyme activity and immunoreactive polypeptides indicated that the 75- and 67-kilodalton polypeptides can be resolved and are both enzymatically active. In addition, a correlation was observed between the relative immunostaining intensities of both the 75- and 67-kilodalton bands and ChAT activity when supernatants from fresh fly head homogenates were autolyzed at 37 degrees C. Our results indicate that ChAT is present in fresh Drosophila heads primarily as an active enzyme with a molecular mass of 75 kilodaltons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Mutations affecting acetylcholine levels in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Gene cha-1.unc-17 of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a complex gene, consisting of at least two complementation groups. One part (cha-1 region) of the gene encodes the enzyme choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), but the function of the other part (unc-17 region) is still unclear. We measured the ChAT activity and ACh levels of the cha-1 and unc-17 complex gene mutants. We show here that alterations in ACh levels, rather than the ChAT activity, reflect abnormal phenotypes accompanying cha-1.unc-17 mutations, that is, the decreased ACh levels in cha-1 mutations and abnormal accumulation in unc-17 mutations. Our results suggest that the unc-17 region may encode functions necessary for storage and/or release of ACh at the presynaptic level.

Molecular biology and neurobiology of choline acetyltransferase

In the 45 years since the first description of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT; EC 2.3.1.6.), significant progress has been made in characterizing the molecular properties of this important neurotransmitter synthetic enzyme. We are now on the verge of understanding its genetic regulation and biological function(s). The Drosophila cDNA has been cloned, sequenced, and expressed in both a eucaryotic and a procaryotic system. The levels of ChAT specific mRNA have been determined during Drosophila development. Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies have been produced to the enzyme from a variety of sources and used for biochemical and immunocytochemical studies. Two well characterized genetic systems have identified the ChAT gene and described a series of useful alleles. As a nervous system specific protein expressed only in the subset of neurons using acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter, ChAT is a good model for uncovering the processes and factors responsible for regulating genes involved in neurotransmitter phenotype selection and maintenance. Recent studies have described the purification of a cholinergic factor from muscle conditioned medium and indicated the potential importance of nerve growth factor (NGF) for regulating ChAT expression in the central nervous system. These factors, or ones remaining to be discovered, may be involved in the etiology or disease process of neurodegenerative nervous system disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

Immunohistochemical localization of choline acetyltransferase in the central nervous system of the locust

Immunohistochemistry of the locust central nervous system with antibody to choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) purified from the same species shows: first, there are relatively few immunoreactive cell bodies in the CNS; and second, sensory neuropiles, such as the ventral association centre and the ventral VAC (vVAC), the anterior ring tract, the tritocerebrum and the antennal lobe, are immunoreactive. That ChAT is contained in sensory neurones is suggested by immunoreactivity found in peripheral neurone cell bodies. These results indicate that acetylcholine serves primarily as a sensory transmitter in the locust.

Monoclonal antibodies and polyvalent antiserum to chicken choline acetyltransferase

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to chick choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) were obtained from mouse-hybridoma cultures after immunization with partially purified enzyme isolated from optic lobes. Antibodies that bound active enzyme were detected in 11 hybridoma cultures. The mAbs showed cross-reactivity to ChAT from quail and beef but not to ChAT from several other species. An affinity column prepared with one of the mAbs was used to purify ChAT to apparent homogeneity. Polyclonal antiserum to mAb affinity-purified ChAT was produced in a rabbit. This antiserum inhibited chick ChAT activity and quantitatively precipitated ChAT activity from solution. On immunoblots, the antiserum stained ChAT and two other proteins. After preadsorption of the antiserum with effluent from the mAb affinity column, the antiserum became monospecific for ChAT. This antiserum was useful for immunocytochemical localization of ChAT, it selectively stained neuronal cell bodies in chick spinal cord and rat brain at locations known to contain cholinergic neurons.