The incorporation of triethylcholine into isolated guinea pig cerebral cortex synaptosomal and synaptic vesicle fractions

The incorporation of triethylcholine (TEC) into synaptosomal and synaptic vesicle fractions prepared from guinea pig cerebral cortices was investigated. TEC was tritium labelled by a catalytic exchange process and purified by thin layer chromatography. ³H-TEC was incorporated into isolated synaptosomal fractions in both tris medium and a complete medium containing an external energy source. In this medium about 50% of the ³H-TEC incorporated was taken up into a chloroform-soluble fraction; almost no uptake into chloroform was demonstrated in the complete medium. After incubation of ³H-TEC with isolated synaptosomal fractions the ³H-TEC was shown to be localized in the subsynaptosomal synaptic vesicle fraction. The uptake process for ³H-TEC is inhibited by high concentrations of hemicholinium and choline. The temperature and time studies suggest that in synaptosomes an uptake process for TEC exists similar to that which has been observed for choline.