The effects on the spontaneous, non-quantal release of acetylcholine (ACh) from motor nerve terminals of substances known to inhibit the ACh transport system present in cholinergic synaptic vesicles have been investigated. In mouse diaphragms, the hyperpolarization normally produced by d-tubocurarine (dTC) in muscle endplates that had been treated by an anticholinesterase was partly or completely abolished by 2-(4-phenylpiperidino) cyclohexanol (AH5183, 10(-7)-10(-6)M), quinacrine (10(-7)M) and tetraphenylborate (10(-6) M). Since the sensitivity of the endplate to ACh was not changed, the block of the dTC induced hyperpolarization indicated an inhibition of the spontaneous, non-quantal release of ACh. This was confirmed by direct measurement of the ACh released by rat diaphragm. The release of ACh from the innervated diaphragm was decreased by about 50% by AH5183 (10(-8)-10(-6) M) and by 42% by quinacrine (10(-7)-10(-6) M). The ACh released was presumably neural, since the release of ACh from 4-day denervated diaphragms was not diminished by either AH5183 or quinacrine. The results indicate that the spontaneous release of ACh from the motor nerve terminals is probably mediated by a carrier which may be the vesicular transport system responsible for moving ACh into the vesicle. The transport system is likely incorporated into the membrane of the nerve terminal during exocytosis.

Institute of Physiology Czechoslovak Academy of Science Prague

The effects of nerve terminal activity on non-quantal release of acetylcholine at the mouse neuromuscular junction