Acetylcholinesterase in the human erythron. III. Regulation of differentiation

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is present in both primitive and mature erythroid cells, but a role for the enzyme in human hematopoiesis has not been defined. This prospect represented the primary objective of the following study. In clonal culture of normal human bone marrow cells, a "wave" of AChE activity was demonstrated, rising from undetectable levels to a peak (of 1.48 femto-moles per min per cell) at 10 days in the course of progressive erythroid clonogenesis. At concentrations of enzyme inhibitor that clearly reduced AChE activity in a dose-dependent fashion, there was no overall effect on erythropoiesis in vitro, but the clones were generally smaller and significantly more often multi-focal than in control cultures. Furthermore, in the presence of AChE inhibitors, a concentration-dependent increase in the myeloid-erythroid ratios of the culture harvests was observed. Likewise, a clear reduction in hemoglobination was revealed, in cells of 10 day cultures, from a mean hemoglobin concentration of 35.0 pg per cell in controls to 20.1 pg per cell in the presence of the maximal concentration of the inhibitor (10(-6) M eserine). These data point to a role for AChE in the regulation of differentiation in the human erythron.