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PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
2004-5-11
pubmed:abstractText
The enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) terminates synaptic transmission at cholinergic synapses by hydrolyzing the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. In addition, AChE is thought to play several 'non-classical' roles that do not require catalytic function. Most prominent among these is facilitation of neurite growth. Here, we report that the zebrafish zieharmonika (zim) locus encodes AChE. We show that one mutant zim allele is caused by a pre-mature stop codon, resulting in a truncated protein that lacks both the catalytic site and the carboxy-terminal neuritogenic domain. To explore the 'non-classical' role of AChE, we examined embryos mutant for this allele. In contrast to previous results using a catalytic-inactive allele, our analysis demonstrates that AChE is dispensable for muscle fiber development and Rohon-Beard sensory neuron growth and survival. Moreover, we show that in the absence of AChE, acetylcholine receptor clusters at neuromuscular junctions initially assemble, but that these clusters are not maintained. Taken together, our results demonstrate that AChE is dispensable for its proposed non-classical roles in muscle fiber formation and sensory neuron development, but is crucial for regulating the stability of neuromuscular synapses.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jun
pubmed:issn
0012-1606
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
1
pubmed:volume
270
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
232-45
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-11-21
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:15136152-Acetylcholine, pubmed-meshheading:15136152-Acetylcholinesterase, pubmed-meshheading:15136152-Animals, pubmed-meshheading:15136152-Bungarotoxins, pubmed-meshheading:15136152-Carbachol, pubmed-meshheading:15136152-Catalytic Domain, pubmed-meshheading:15136152-Cell Death, pubmed-meshheading:15136152-Cholinergic Agonists, pubmed-meshheading:15136152-Codon, Terminator, pubmed-meshheading:15136152-Embryo, Nonmammalian, pubmed-meshheading:15136152-In Situ Nick-End Labeling, pubmed-meshheading:15136152-Motor Activity, pubmed-meshheading:15136152-Muscle Fibers, Skeletal, pubmed-meshheading:15136152-Neuromuscular Junction, pubmed-meshheading:15136152-Neurons, Afferent, pubmed-meshheading:15136152-Receptors, Cholinergic, pubmed-meshheading:15136152-Zebrafish, pubmed-meshheading:15136152-Zebrafish Proteins
pubmed:year
2004
pubmed:articleTitle
Acetylcholinesterase function is dispensable for sensory neurite growth but is critical for neuromuscular synapse stability.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6058, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.