Bovine nucleus caudatus acetylcholinesterase: active site determination and investigation of a dimeric form obtained by selective proteolysis.

The number of catalytic subunits of purified bovine nucleus caudatus acetylcholinesterase (E.C. 3.1.1.7) has been determined by active site labelling with [3H]diisopropyl fluorophosphate ([3H]DFP). The 10.5 S, 16 S, and 20 S forms were estimated to contain two, four, and six active sites, respectively, per molecule. A 4.8 S form, which showed a weak amphiphile-dependent activity behavior, was obtained by selective proteolytic digestion with pronase. The inability of the purified 4.8 S form to aggregate after detergent removal, and the molecular mass in the range of 130-165 kD under nondenaturating conditions, indicate that this form is a dimeric form, lacking those hydrophobic regions responsible for aggregation.