J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 261, Issue 15, 6831-6835, May, 1986
Translocation of cytosolic acetylcholine into synaptic vesicles and demonstration of vesicular release
DM Michaelson, M Burstein and R Licht
The rate of translocation of newly synthesized acetylcholine (ACh) from the
presynaptic cytosol of Torpedo electric organ nerve terminals into synaptic
vesicles and the extent to which ACh release from these neurons is mediated
by a vesicular mechanism were investigated. For this purpose the compound
2(4-phenylpiperidino)cyclohexanol (AH5183), which inhibits the active
transport of ACh into isolated cholinergic synaptic vesicles, was employed.
Preincubation of purified Torpedo nerve terminals (synaptosomes) with
AH5183 does not affect the intraterminal synthesis of [3H]ACh but results
in a marked inhibition (85%) of its Ca2+-dependent K+-evoked release. By
contrast, the evoked release of the endogenous nonlabeled ACh is not
affected by this compound. When AH5183 is added during radiolabeling, it
causes a progressively smaller inhibition of [3H]ACh release which is
completely abolished if the drug is added after the preparation has been
labeled. These findings suggest that most of the newly synthesized
synaptosomal [3H]ACh (85%) is released by a vesicular mechanism and that
some [3H]ACh (15%) may be released by a different process. The
translocation of cytosolic [3H]ACh into the synaptic vesicles was monitored
by determining the time course of the loss of susceptibility of [3H]ACh
release to AH5183. It was found not to be coupled kinetically to [3H]ACh
synthesis and to lag behind it. The nature of the intraterminal processes
underlying this lag is discussed.