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I Silman

Publications and source records attributed to I Silman.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

Immunological cross-reactivity between electric-eel acetylcholinesterase and rat-tail-tendon collagen.

Immunological cross-reactivity between acetylcholinesterase from the electric organ of the electric eel and rat tail tendon collagen was examined both on the cellular and humoral levels. 1. Guinea pigs immunized with rat tail tendon collagen displayed a strong delayed-type skin reaction when tested with the elongated acetylcholinesterase preparation (i.e. 14-S + 18-S molecular forms). However, when the glubular 11-S enzyme was tested, almost no cross-reactivity was obtained. Similarly, guinea pigs immunized with 14-S + 18-S preparation exhibited skin sensitization to rat tail tendon collagen. 2. Using a radioimmunoassay, it was observed that 125I-labeled 14-S + 18-S acetylcholinesterase binds efficiently to rabbit antiserum elicited against rat tail tendon collagen, whereas 125I-labeled 11-S enzyme does not bind at all to this antiserum. Similar results were obtained by passive hemagglutination assay. The experiments suggest that 14-S + 18-S acetylcholinesterase, but not 11-S enzyme, which is devoid of the tail structure, has antigenic determinants in common with collagen from rat tail tendon.

Acetylcholinesterase

Effects of quaternary ligands on the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase by arsenite.

Arsenite inhibits acetylcholinesterase in a second-order reaction. The rate and equilibrium constants depend upon pH and have values on the order of 10(2) M-1 min-1 and 10(5) M (dissociation), respectively. Some quaternary ammonium ligands completely block the arsenite inhibition of the enzyme, others decrease the rate of the reaction and some, notably pyridine-2 aldoxime methiodide, greatly accelerate the rate of the reaction, up to 220-fold. Accelerators may bind at a separate enzyme site distinct form the anionic site involved in substrate binding. Although the kinetic data are consistent with a covalent reaction between arsenite and acetylcholinesterase, chemical evidence excludes the involvement of sulfhydryl groups which are usually implicated in arsenite inhibition.

Ammonia

Appearance and disappearance of acetycholine receptor during differentiation of chick skeletal muscle in vitro.

During differentiation of embryonic chick skeletal muscle in culture, elaboration of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) and acetylcholinesterase occurs shortly after myoblast fusion. During further development, AChR was found to decrease markedly on the myotube surface, while acetylcholinesterase continued to increase. Surface distribution of AChR, as followed by autoradiography using 125I-alpha-bungarotoxin, was homogeneous in newly fused myotubes. With further differentiation, clusters of AChR appeared on the surface of the myotubes, and their subsequent disappearance paralleled a decrease in overall AChR levels. Quantitative autoradiography showed a reduction of over 75% in the density of AChR on the surface of well differentiated, cross-striated myotubes. Thus the appearance of AChR on the cell surface, its condensation into clusters, and finally its depletion seem to be sequential events in the differentiation of skeletal muscle in culture in the absence of direct neuronal influence.

Acetylcholine

A beta-D-galactoside binding protein from electric organ tissue of Electrophorus electricus.

Extracts of electric organ tissue of Electrophorus electricus contain a saccharide-binding protein, named electrolectin, which agglutinates trypsin-treated rabbit erythrocytes and is specifically inhibited by disaccharides containing nonreducing terminal beta-D-galactosyl residues. Electrolectin seems at least partially membrane-bound but is also found in soluble fractions of homoge-nates from which it can be purfied by affinity chromatography on cross-linked and desulfated agarose (ECD-Sepharose) as a protein of molecular weight 33,000. About 400 mg of electrolectin are present per kg of tissue. It has an affinity for lactose of 1.0 mM-1 and 5.5mM-1 as estimated, respectively, by hapten inhibition and fluorescence spectroscopy. Studies on the distribution of beta-D-galactoside-binding activity in animal tissues reveal particularly high levels in sheletal muscle tissue and in cultures of embryonic skeletal muscle and neuroblastoma cells.

Animals