OHIO UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
          PORTERHALL

ATHENS, OHIO 45701

DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY

21 Pabruary, 19'71

Dr. M. NirenberB
Laboratory of Biorhsmieal Goastirr
National Haut and Lung Institute
Natieaal Iwtftuter of Health
Batheada, Maryland 20014

bar Dr. Nirrnbarg:

  Thank you far aending m a reprint sfaAeetylaholinesteraw in qs~roblartoma
ee 118" . I am particularly interoskd to see the inverw relationrh@pf betweo1
AChX artivity ard ooll divirion.  My laboratary ir concerned with the problam
of mnrory phyriology, and we have beon at&lying wveral developnmntal ryrtema
that alaa bar0 intoresting electrical promrtier.  I have ahawn that phytoahron~,
tha light reaoptor that lPrdiater all phetoperiodic phonotnsna in higher plant&
ir itwlf regulated by ACh (as in the onclosed reprint). Simem ACh bar now
been implicated in sevrral animal ayrtomr as a devolspavntal regulator (e.g.

only organr in which roll division may be raid to bo artively oecuriag. Whother
err not thir is dua to decreased AChX activity, or increased acotyleholine
oytnthdr renxxim~ to k mea.  We harm just now rucrceedod in demon&rating
true AChJ8 activity, and are beginning to look for rholine acotyltranaferaao
activity in tha secondary roots.

  Although ACh ir best known for ita rola aa a neuro-tranrmittrr, it lena
to bo found in all living cellr including prokaryotie cella* In addition to
itr oontrol of membrane permeability (Tabla VI, and much animal work), might
it norli be that its primary function evolved to regulate co11 division, and
that itr role in nervea, etc. ia, in faet, regressive, with the advent of an
auxilliary oystem to protect agaiaat divirion?

   I hope ultimately to bo able to explain tha mode of a&ion of ACh in our
system, and have taken the approach of rtudying its interaction with oath
organella in turn.  In addition to the obviouu effect of ACh on the 011
mmbrane, we have alro demonstrated a olear cut and unexpected type of mitochondril
regulation, and have preliminary evidence that the nuclear envelope ir
strongly effected by ACh.  If you are interested, I shall send you reprints
of thoao papers when they appear.

Vo ry

M. J

Asst. Prof.