Fasciculins, enzyme site-directed polypeptides, as motor neurone research tools

Abstract

In order to examine the ability of motor neurones to take up fasciculin (FAS) and transport it centrally from muscle terminals to the spinal cord, we injected pure FAS 2, a powerful acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor, into mouse gastrocnemius muscle. 21 h later, histochemistry and biochemistry of spinal cord AChE showed an almost complete inhibition of motoneuronal AChE, limited to the spinal cord segmental levels corresponding to the injected muscle. Axon transport of FAS can be exploited to direct peripherally-injected FAS to neurones located in the central nervous system (CNS).