Publications

This chapter describes the expression and in vivo amplification of the human acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (ChE) genes. Cholinesterases are carboxylesterase type B enzymes capable of hydrolysing the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. In addition to their well-known involvement in the termination of cholinergic neurotransmission, cholinesterases are implicated in several processes related to cellular differentiation and tissue reorganization. This is because of their transiently coordinated expression in various embryonic tissues. In addition, acetylcholine analogues and cholinesterase inhibitors induce promegakaryocytopoiesis and platelet production in the mouse. The cloned cDNAs encoding both ChE and AChE from man for various hybridization and expression experiments are used in the chapter. A multileveled regulation for the ChE and AChE genes in humans are described in the chapter and are strongly indicative of their involvement in cellular growth and differentiation in multiple biosystems. It is possible that the ChE and AChE genes contain internal origins of replication, making them appropriate subjects for gene amplification, and this explains the overexpression of these genes in brain tumors and the modified ChE properties found in carcinomas.