Acetylcholinesterase generates enkephalin-like immunoreactivity when it degrades the soluble proteins (chromogranins) from adrenal chromaffin granules.

Acetylcholinesterase was purified by passage through 3 affinity columns. The enzyme so purified was found to be homogeneous by electrophoresis and the peptidase and AChE activities co-eluted from a high pressure liquid chromatography column. The purified AChE degraded the chromogranins, the soluble proteins from the adrenal chromaffin granules, at a rate of nearly 8 micrograms/microgram AChE/h. The rate was fastest with the largest chromogranins, but proteins across the whole molecular weight spectrum were hydrolyzed. Immunoassay of extracts after incubation with AChE showed that enkephalin-like material had been produced. Incubations were also done with chromogranins that had been fractionated by size exclusion chromatography. The AChE degraded protein in all fractions and generated enkephalin-like immunoreactive material in fractions where it was produced by sequential treatment with trypsin and carboxypeptidase B. It seems likely, therefore, that AChE can hydrolyze some of the enkephalin precursors that are sensitive to trypsin and carboxypeptidase B, but the one-step nature of its action suggests a mode of action with fewer restrictions. It is concluded that AChE can hydrolyze proteins of widely differing sizes and the data add to the evidence that AChE is able to hydrolyze enkephalin precursors resulting in the generation of immunoreactive peptide.