Acetylcholinesterase activity in developing skeletal muscle cells in vitro

Abstract

Acetylcholinesterase activity has been demonstrated biochemically and cytochemically in developing chick embryo skeletal muscle cells growing in culture. The enzyme shows the same pattern of drug sensitivity as that of adult skeletal muscle acetylcholinesterase and in present in cultured myogenic cells before the time of cell fusion, the formation of myotubes, and the subsequent increase in rate of myosin synthesis. Myogenic cell fusion is accompanied, however, by a large increase in activity of acetylcholinesterase. The enzyme activity is restricted in these cultures to myogenic cells. Neighboring fibroblasts show no cytochemical responses when challenged with techniques showing intense activity in myoblasts and myotubes. In addition, evidence is presented which strongly suggests that acetylcholinesterase activity in dividing myogenic cells is not constant over the cell cycle.