Structure of human serum cholinesterase

Human cholinesterase has recently been sequenced and cloned. It is a glycoprotein of 4 identical subunits, each subunit containing 9 carbohydrate chains and 3.5 disulfide bonds. Protein folding is likely to be very similar in human cholinesterase and Torpedo acetylcholinesterase. The cholinesterases have no significant sequence homology with the serine proteases and seem to belong to a separate serine esterase family.     

Incidence of C5 isozyme of serum cholinesterase (E2 locus) in populations of Andhra Pradesh, South India

The distribution of the C5 isozyme of the serum cholinesterase (E2 locus) was studied in several endogamous Hindu caste groups and Muslim sub-sects of Andhra Pradesh in South India. Both intra and inter population variation was marked with a comparatively low incidence of C5 in the populations studied.     

Molecular biology of human serum cholinesterase

More than 90% of the amino acid sequence of purified human serum cholinesterase has been determined in our laboratory. Purified enzyme was digested with several proteolytic enzymes; the resulting polypeptides were then separated, purified, and sequenced. Optimal sequence regions were identified and used as the basis for the synthesis of three 17-mer oligonucleotide probes. In addition, one long peptide of 58 amino acid residues was selected for construction of two unique sequence oligonucleotide probes of 39-mer and 53-mer; the peptide regions corresponding to the latter are six amino acids apart. The probes have been used to screen a human liver cDNA library and a human genomic library. Several positive clones to both types of probes have been identified. These are being characterized, and some of them have been or are now being sequenced. A high degree of homology in the amino acid sequence of the active center of human serum cholinesterase and that of acetylcholinesterase from the Torpedo fish has been noted. It appears that this region of cholinesterases has been conserved during evolution, and there may be an important, still unrecognized role for serum nonspecific cholinesterase in mammalian metabolism.     

Purification and properties of human serum cholinesterase

Cholinesterase was purified from human serum by a three-stage procedure involving chromatography on DEAE-cellulose at pH4.0, an electrofocusing technique and gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. The final product was purified 13000-fold with a yield of 54%, and only one protein and one cholinesterase band could be demonstrated by polyacrylamide-disc electrophoresis. The catalytic properties appeared to be unchanged by the purification procedure. The molecular weight was determined by both ultracentrifugation in a density gradient and gel filtration, and values close to 366000 were obtained. The isoelectric point of cholinesterase was estimated to be pH3.99. The method appears suitable for the preliminary purification of the rare genetic variants of human cholinesterase.     

Association of mutant alleles of serum cholinesterase with various multi-factorial and infectious diseases

Polymorphism of serum cholinesterase (SCE, acylcholinacylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.8) for the E1 locus was studied in the groups of the patients affected with schizophrenia, peptic ulcer, hereditary erythrocytopathies, tuberculosis, thyreotoxicosis, essential hypertension and rheumatic disease. Increased frequencies of I phenotypes (E1uE1a genotype) were found among patients with peptic ulcer (12.3%), hereditary erythrocytopathies (23.2%), and UF phenotypes (E1uE1f genotype) were observed among patients with schizophrenia (2.8%) and tuberculosis (5.4%). The increased frequencies of E1a and E1f alleles in these groups of patients were, as compared to the control group, statistically significant. The value of relative risk for peptic ulcer was 3.39 in individuals of the E1uE1a genotype, those being 3.62 for schizophrenia and 6.92 for tuberculosis in individuals of the E1uE1f genotype. The nature of the other associations is discussed.     

E1h, a new allele at cholinesterase locus 1

Unusual inhibition characteristics in two unrelated suxamethonium-sensitive individuals were indicative of a new allele, E1h, segregating with the E1a gene. Family studies substantiate this hypothesis and three new genotypes are recognised.     

Automated conductimetric assay of human serum cholinesterase activity

Serum cholinesterase activity was determined by conductimetry using samples in the microliter range. Butyrylcholine iodide was demonstrated to be a convenient substrate for the conductimetric assay. Validation of the microassay was made by using either purified enzyme or control serum. In the range of 0-60 U/l, a linear relationship was demonstrated. Correlation with a reference spectrophotometric method was obtained with a slope of 1.18. An explanation of this value is proposed, as different hydrolysis rates were obtained with human sera, depending on the substrate used (butyrylthio- or butyryl-choline ester).     

Polymorphism of human blood serum cholinesterase in populations of Evenks and Yakuts in Krasnoyarsk Territory

Polymorphism for E2 locus of human serum cholinesterase was studied in populations of evenks and yakuts of Krasnoyarsky region by the method of starch gel electrophoresis. Thee frequencies of C5+ phenotype correspond to C5+ frequencies in other mongoloid populations of Siberia. The activity of cholinesterase was determined by semiquantitative technique. Three individuals with a sharply decreased cholinesterase activity have been revealed.     

Complete amino acid sequence of human serum cholinesterase

The complete amino acid sequence of human serum cholinesterase (choline esterase II (unspecific), EC 3.1.1.8) was determined by Edman degradation of purified peptides. The protein contains 574 amino acids per subunit and nine carbohydrate chains attached to 9 asparagines. The four subunits of cholinesterase appear to be identical. The active site serine is the 198th residue from the amino terminus. The sequence of human serum cholinesterase is 53.8% identical with the sequence of acetylcholinesterase from Torpedo californica and 28% identical with the carboxyl-terminal portion of bovine thyroglobulin.     

Unbiased transmission of mutant alleles at the human retinoblastoma locus

The preferential transmission of the mutant allele to offspring from fathers who carry a germline mutation in the retinoblastoma gene was examined by analyzing 46 consecutive pedigrees. Among 75 offspring from 29 fathers, the ratio of carriers to noncarriers was 49%. Among the 106 offspring from 55 mothers the ratio was 57%. Neither ratio differs statistically from the expected 50%. When the analysis was limited to only those families with low-penetrance retinoblastoma, we still did not observe a biased transmission of alleles from fathers, although mothers did have an excess of carrier offspring of borderline statistical significance (the P-value was approximately 0.03). While we cannot rule out a biased transmission of alleles from some parents, there appears to be no such bias overall.