Upregulated acetylcholine synthesis during early differentiation in the embryonic stem cell line CGR8

Stem cells are used to generate differentiated somatic cells including neuronal cells. Synthesis and release of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter and widely expressed signaling molecule, were investigated in the murine embryonic stem cell line CGR8 during early differentiation, i.e. in the presence of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) to maintain pluripotency and in the absence of LIF to induce early differentiation. CGR8 cells express choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) as demonstrated by measurement of enzyme activity and substantial inhibition by bromoacetylcholine. Pluripotent CGR8 cells showed a ChAT activity of 250 pmol acetylcholine/mg/h, contained 1.1 pmol acetylcholine/10⁶ cells and released about 12.00 pmol acetylcholine/1 x 10⁶ cells/6 h. Removal of LIF induced early differentiation as evidenced by reduced transcription factors Oct-4 and Nanog and a substantial slowing of the proliferation rate. Under this condition acetylcholine synthesis increased to 1640 pmol/mg/h; related to the pluripotent state the content of acetylcholine increased 10-fold and the release to about 32 pmol acetylcholine/1 x 10⁶ cells/6 h. Enzyme kinetic analysis showed a significant increase of the K(m) for the precursor acetyl-CoA and of V(max) without a change of the K(m) for the precursor choline. In conclusion, early differentiation of the stem cell line CGR8 is associated with a substantial increase in ChAT activity and acetylcholine release.