Molecular forms of acetylcholinesterase in developing Torpedo embryos

We have studied the evolution of acetylcholinesterase molecular forms during the embryonic development of Torpedo marmorata, in the electric organs and in the electric lobes of the central nervous system. In the early stages of development (35 mm embryos, ‘myogenic phase’ of electric organ development), globular forms of acetylcholinesterase (G₄ and G₂) are abundant in both tissues and the collagen-tailed form A₁₂ is already present. In the electric organs, this form accumulates rapidly after the 55–60 mm stage (‘electrogenic phase’), when synapse formation first commences. Although the molecular characteristics of the collagen-tailed forms, and particularly their aggregation properties, do not appear to change during development, their solubilization requires higher concentrations of MgCl₂, as the electrocytes mature, suggesting that they become more tightly integrated in a better organized basal lamina. The smaller collagen-tailed form A₈ shows a transient increase which coincides approximately with the maximal accumulation of A₁₂, suggesting that it is an intermediate in its synthesis. The accumulation of the hydrophobic G₂, which eventually becomes predominent in the adult electric organs, lags behind that of A₁₂. The functional significance of this important fraction of acetylcholinesterase is therefore not that of a pool of precursor for the synthesis of A₁₂. In the electric lobes, the tetrameric form (G₄) is abundant during development, as well as G₂ and G₁ at certain stages, but the A₁₂ form is predominant in the adult.