Acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7), a neurotransmitter enzyme in scorpion hemolymph

Acetylcholinesterase (AchE: EC 3.1.1.7) was identified and purified from the hemolymph of the scorpion Heterometrus bengalensis. The purity of the enzyme was determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). The molecular weight of the enzyme, determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-PAGE, was 80,000. The purified AchE hydrolysed acetylthiocholine iodide, but it did not react with butyrylthiocholine iodide. BW284C51, a specific inhibitor of AchE, strongly inhibited the enzyme. The known inhibitor (tetramonoisopropylpyrophosphortetramide) of pseudocholinesterase did not produce any inhibition of the enzyme activity. The purified AchE of scorpion hemolymph was vulnerable to high substrate concentration. The presence of Cu2+ and Ni2+ reduced the enzyme activity, whereas the metal ion, Sn2+, enhanced AchE activity. Ca2+ produced neither inhibition nor activation. (Na+, K+)-ATPase and Mg2+-ATPase activities were greatly enhanced by the purified AchE.