Chromatographic Discrimination of Soluble Neuropathy Target Esterase Isoenzymes and Related Phenyl Valerate Esterases from Chicken Brain, Spinal Cord, and Sciatic Nerve

Abstract: Neuropathy target esterase (NTE) activity is operatively defined in this work as the phenyl valerate esterase (PVase) activity resistant to 40 µ M paraoxon but sensitive to 250 µ M mipafox. Gel filtration chromatography with Sephacryl S-300 of the soluble fraction from spinal cord showed two PVase peaks containing NTE activity (S-NTE1 and S-NTE2). The titration curve corresponding to inhibition by mipafox was studied over the 1–250 µ M range, in the presence of 40 µ M paraoxon. The data revealed that S-NTE1 and S-NTE2 have different sensitivities to mipafox with I₅₀ (30 min) values of 1.7 and 19 µ M , respectively. This was similar to the pattern observed in the soluble fraction from sciatic nerve with two components ( V _o peak, or S-NTE1; and 100-K peak, or S-NTE2) with different sensitivity to mipafox. However, in the brain soluble fraction, only the high-molecular-mass (>700-kDa) peak or S-NTE1 was obtained. It showed an I₅₀ of 5.2 µ M in the mipafox inhibition curve. The chromatographic profile was different on changing the pH in the subcellular fractionation. When the homogenized tissue was centrifuged at pH 6.8, the V _o peak activity decreased in the soluble fraction from these nerve tissues. This suggests that the V _o peak could be related to materials partly solubilized from membranes at higher pH. The chromatographic pattern and mipafox sensitivity suggest that the different tissues have a different NTE isoform composition. S-NTE2 should be a different entity than S-NTE1 and particulate NTE. The potential role of soluble forms in the mechanism of initiation or promotion of neuropathy due to organophosphorus remain unknown.