MAMMALIAN GLIAL-CELLS IN CULTURE SYNTHESIZE ACETYLCHOLINE

In the present study we demonstrate that acetylcholine is synthesized by cultured mammalian glial cells identified by cell-type specific mar kers. Primary cultures of rat brain astrocytes or microglia contained 2.0 and 1.6 pmol acetylcholine/10(6) cells on average respectively. As trocyte cultures established from neonatal mouse brain contained even more acetylcholine (about 80 pmol acetylcholine/10(6) cells). Primary; cultures of rat brain astrocytes showed choline acetyltransferase (ChA T) enzyme activity of 3 nmol/mg protein/h; ChAT activity was blocked b y 10 mu M bromoacetylcholine. In conclusion, these data demonstrate th e synthesis of the ''neurotransmitter'' acetylcholine in cultured glia l cells, a finding which opens a new view upon the role of acetylcholi ne in mammalian brain.