Abstract
The discovery of the first neurotransmitter--acetylcholine--was soon followed by the discovery of its hydrolysing enzyme, acetylcholinesterase. The role of acetylcholinesterase in terminating acetylcholine-mediated neurotransmission made it the focus of intense research for much of the past century. But the complexity of acetylcholinesterase gene regulation and recent evidence for some of the long-suspected 'non-classical' actions of this enzyme have more recently driven a profound revolution in acetylcholinesterase research. Although our understanding of the additional roles of acetylcholinesterase is incomplete, the time is ripe to summarize the evidence on a remarkable diversity of acetylcholinesterase functions.
MeSH terms
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Acetylcholinesterase / chemistry
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Acetylcholinesterase / genetics
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Acetylcholinesterase / metabolism*
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Alternative Splicing / genetics
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Animals
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Cell Adhesion
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Cholinesterase Inhibitors / pharmacology
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Dopamine / metabolism
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Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic
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Hematopoiesis
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Humans
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Multienzyme Complexes / chemistry
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Multienzyme Complexes / genetics
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Multienzyme Complexes / metabolism*
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Mutation / genetics
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Neurodegenerative Diseases / enzymology
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Neurodegenerative Diseases / genetics
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Neurons / enzymology
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Neurons / metabolism
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Persian Gulf Syndrome / enzymology
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Phenotype
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Plaque, Amyloid / metabolism
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Protein Transport
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Stress, Physiological / enzymology
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Synapses / enzymology
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Synapses / metabolism
Substances
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Cholinesterase Inhibitors
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Multienzyme Complexes
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Acetylcholinesterase
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Dopamine