Acetylcholinesterase activity in the cerebellum of the lurcher (Lc) mutant mouse.

The activity and distribution of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase in the cerebellum of adult lurcher (Lc) mutant mice and of their normal littermates was investigated using biochemical assay and light microscopic histochemistry. The biochemical assay demonstrated an approximate two-fold increase of enzyme activity in the lurcher cerebellum compared to the values obtained for the normal controls. Acetylcholinesterase activity in the cerebellum of the normal adult mouse was predominantly evident in the granular layer, corresponding to the location of the glomeruli. In contrast, the lurcher cerebellum exhibited enzyme activity in both molecular and granular layers. In the molecular layer the staining appeared to be associated with ectopic granule cells. In both normal and lurcher mice, the Golgi cells, subcortical white matter and deep nuclei also showed varying degrees of staining for acetylcholinesterase.