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Mammalian glial cells in culture synthesize acetylcholine

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Abstract

In the present study we demonstrate that acetylcholine is synthesized by cultured mammalian glial cells identified by cell-type specific markers. Primary cultures of rat brain astrocytes or microglia contained 2.0 and 1.6 pmol acetylcholine/106 cells on average respectively. Astrocyte cultures established from neonatal mouse brain contained even more acetylcholine (about 80 pmol acetylcholine/106 cells). Primary cultures of rat brain astrocytes showed choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) enzyme activity of 3 nmol/mg protein/h; ChAT activity was blocked by 10 μM bromoacetylcholine. In conclusion, these data demonstrate the synthesis of the “neurotransmitter” acetylcholine in cultured glial cells, a finding which opens a new view upon the role of acetylcholine in mammalian brain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, University of Mainz, Obere Zahlbacher Strasse 67, D-55101 Mainz, Germany, , , , , , DE

    I. Wessler, Torsten Reinheimer & Holger Klapproth

  2. Boehringer Ingelheim KG, Department Biological Research, D-55216 Ingelheim, Germany, , , , , , DE

    Franz-Josef Schneider & Rudolf Hammer

  3. Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Bonn, Reuterstrasse 2b, D-53113 Bonn, Germany, , , , , , DE

    Kurt Racké

Authors
  1. I. Wessler
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  2. Torsten Reinheimer
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  3. Holger Klapproth
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  4. Franz-Josef Schneider
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  5. Kurt Racké
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  6. Rudolf Hammer
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Wessler, I., Reinheimer, T., Klapproth, H. et al. Mammalian glial cells in culture synthesize acetylcholine. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch Pharmacol 356, 694–697 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00005107

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00005107

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