Luo Xiaohe, Lauwers Marianne, Layer Paul G, Wen Chunyi
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.
Developmental Biology and Neurogenetics, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany.
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021 Jan 28;8:620543. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2020.620543. eCollection 2020.
Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme catalyzing the degradation of acetylcholine, plays an important suppressive role in the cholinergic regulation by terminating the action of acetylcholine. The expression of acetylcholinesterase and other cholinergic components is not restricted to only brain and nerve tissues but can also be found in non-neuronal tissues like the immune system and bone tissue. Primary identification of these components has been achieved. However, the information about their specific functions and underlying molecular mechanisms in bone remains scattered. Here, the physiological process of bone development, homeostasis, and degeneration are introduced. Next, the cholinergic system and its expression in bone tissue is documented. Among them, special attention goes to AChE, as the structure of this enzyme suggests diverse binding affinities, enabled by a peripheral site and a catalytic site. The peripheral site supports the non-enzymatic function of AChE in non-neuronal systems. Based on recent studies, the non-neuronal roles of acetylcholinesterase, both enzymatically and non-enzymatically, in bone development, homeostasis and degeneration are summarized briefly together with potential mechanisms to support these functions. We conclude that AChE may be a potential therapeutic target for bone diseases like osteoporosis.
乙酰胆碱酯酶（AChE）是一种催化乙酰胆碱降解的酶，通过终止乙酰胆碱的作用，在胆碱能调节中发挥重要的抑制作用。乙酰胆碱酯酶和其他胆碱能成分的表达不仅限于脑和神经组织，在免疫系统和骨组织等非神经组织中也能发现。这些成分已被初步鉴定。然而，关于它们在骨骼中的具体功能和潜在分子机制的信息仍然零散。本文介绍了骨骼发育、稳态和退变的生理过程。接下来，记录了胆碱能系统及其在骨组织中的表达。其中，特别关注乙酰胆碱酯酶，因为该酶的结构表明其具有多种结合亲和力，这是由一个外周位点和一个催化位点实现的。外周位点支持乙酰胆碱酯酶在非神经细胞系统中的非酶功能。基于最近的研究，简要总结了乙酰胆碱酯酶在骨骼发育、稳态和退变中的酶促和非酶促非神经细胞作用以及支持这些功能的潜在机制。我们得出结论，乙酰胆碱酯酶可能是骨质疏松症等骨骼疾病的潜在治疗靶点。
