Acetylcholinesterase as a pharmacological target in cancer research

Abstract

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) plays a key role in terminating neurotransmission at cholinergic synapses. This catalytic property of acetylcholinesterase made it focus of intense research for much of the past century. However, the rapidly accumulating evidence for involvement of this protein in novel functions, such as cell adhesion, differentiation and proliferation, deserves to be summarized. In addition, several recent studies have indicated that acetylcholinesterase is potentially a marker and a regulator of apoptosis. In addition, we elucidated that AChE plays a pivotal role in apoptosome formation during apoptosis. In this chapter, we will first review briefly not only classical but also non-classical roles of acetylcholinesterase. We will next discuss the involvement of acetylcholinesterase in apoptosis, focusing the role of AChE in apoptosome formation. Finally, we will also discuss the therapeutic consideration of AChE for cancer therapy.