Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Hahn M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC49087 | biostudies-other | 1992 May
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
Hahn M M Hahn S L SL Stone D M DM Joh T H TH
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 19920501 10
The neurotransmitter acetylcholine is synthesized by choline acetyltransferase (ChAT; EC 2.3.1.6). Since the expression of ChAT in the nervous system is restricted to cholinergic neurons, it serves as a specific marker for these neurons. In Alzheimer disease, ChAT activity is markedly reduced in the affected brain areas. Nerve growth factor can increase the ChAT activity of brain cholinergic neurons in vitro and in vivo. We have cloned the rat ChAT gene and identified one 5' noncoding exon and 1 ...[more]