Gangliosides and acetylcholine of the central nervous system

Abstract

Both gangliosides are bound acetycholine are higher in grey matter than in white. The subcellular distributions of these two compounds appear to be parallel in rat brain, occuring primarily in the crude mitochondrial fraction, and upon further fractionation both gangliosides and bound acetycholine appear in the pinched-off nerve ending fraction. The synaptic vesicle isolated after disruption of the nerve endings by osmotic shock contains both acetylcholine and gangliosides. This parallel distribution and the physical properties of gangliosides suggest a functional role for gangliosides in the transport of acetylcholine from synaptic vesicles through the presynaptic membrane.