Monomers and dimers of acetylcholinesterase in human meningioma are anchored to the membrane by glycosylphosphatidylinositol.

Amphiphilic monomers and dimers of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and hydrophilic tetramers of butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) were released by extracting human meningioma with Tris-saline and Tris-saline-Triton X-100 buffers. The amphiphilic or hydrophilic behavior of the AChE and BuChE forms was assessed by sedimentation analysis, hydrophobic chromatography and Triton X-114 phase-partitioning. A significant fraction of the amphiphilic AChE species was converted into hydrophilic components by incubation of the soluble enzyme with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PIPLC) from Bacillus thuringiensis, this fraction being increased by a double treatment with PIPLC and alkaline hydroxylamine. A significant amount of the membrane-bound AChE was released by incubation with PIPLC. These results demonstrate that AChE forms in meningioma are attached to the membrane via glycosylphosphatidylinositol, although part of the enzyme forms are resistant to PIPLC.