Solubilization of 20S acetylcholinesterase from the chick central nervous system.

The ionic detergent sodium cholate, in the presence of 1 M NaCl, solubilizes a 20S acetylcholinesterase from chick retina and other brain tissues previously extracted with a buffered solution containing 1% Triton X-100 and 1 M NaCl. This 20S acetylcholinesterase appears to be a tailed form of the enzyme which, upon collagenase digestion, is converted to a 22S (mainly) form. This finding suggests that the vertebrate central nervous system does contain asymmetric, collagen-tailed forms of acetylcholinesterase, as is the case in skeletal muscle and cholinergic ganglia.