Synonyms
Acetylcholine acetylhydrolase; Acetylcholine hydrolase; Acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7) (AChE); Acetylthiocholinesterase; Acetyl-β-methylcholinesterase; Acylcholine acylhydrolase; Benzoylcholinesterase; Butyrylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8) (BChE or BuChE): ChE; ChE; ChE I; ChE II; Erythrocyte ChE; Nonspecific ChE; Plasma ChE; Propionylcholinesterase; Pseudocholinesterase; True ChE
Definition
Cholinesterases (ChEs), polymorphic carboxylesterases of broad substrate specificity, terminate neurotransmission at cholinergic synapses and neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). Being sensitive to inhibition by organophosphate (OP) poisons, ChEs belong to the serine hydrolases (B type). ChEs share 65% amino acid sequence homology and have similar molecular forms and active center structures (Soreq and Seidman 2001). Substrate and inhibitor specificities classify ChEs into two subtypes:
- 1.
Acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7) (AChE)
Primarily hydrolyses esters with short acyl moiety, such as...
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References
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Soreq, H., Podoly, E., Gok, M. (2021). Cholinesterases. In: Offermanns, S., Rosenthal, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Molecular Pharmacology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57401-7_184
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57401-7_184
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