Blood‐cell‐specific acetylcholinesterase splice variations under changing stimuli

Developmental and trauma‐induced mechanism(s) that modify inflammation and immune responses in blood cells were recently found to be regulated by acetylcholine. Here, we report corresponding blood cell‐specific changes in acetylcholinesterase splice variants. Plasmon resonance and flow cytometry using acetylcholinesterase variant‐specific antibody probes, revealed a progressive increase in myeloid cell fractions expressing the apoptosis‐related acetylcholinesterase‐S variant from newborns to adult controls and post‐delivery mothers. Hematopoietic cell fractions positive for the myeloproliferative acetylcholinesterase‐R variant, were similarly high in post‐partum blood, both intracellular and on the cell surface. Moreover, intracellular acetylcholinesterase‐S protein amounts as reflected by fluorescence intensity measurements remained unchanged in myeloid cells from post‐partum mothers as compared with matched controls. Unlike brain neurons, which over‐express intracellular acetylcholinesterase‐R under stress, lymphocytes from post‐partum mothers presented increased surface acetylcholinesterase‐S and pronounced decreases in both the expression and contents of surface acetylcholinesterase‐R. Peripheral stimuli‐induced modulations in acetylcholine regulation may hence reflect blood cell lineage‐dependent acetylcholinesterase splice variations.