pseudocholinesterase (cholinesterase-2, acylcholine acylhydrolase, butyrylcholinesterase, BuChE, BCHE)

Function

• responsible for hydrolysis of several drugs, including paralyzing agents succinylcholine & mivacurium
• catalyzes hydrolysis of both acetylcholine & butyrylcholine
• no other functions known

Expression

• present in most cells except erythrocytes
• in the brain, BuChE is produced by glia

Pathology

• acetylcholinesterase (AcChE) is predominant over butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) in normal brain; however, during the course of Alzheimer's disease, the relative proportions of AcChE & BuChE change substantially; BuChE increases, wherease AcChE decreases
• associated with amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease
• mutant alleles of CHE1 are responsible for hypocholinesterasemia resulting in succinylcholine sensitivity; homozygous persons sustain prolonged apnea after administration of the muscle relaxant suxamethonium in succinylcholine with surgical anesthesia

Laboratory

• BCHE gene mutation

Notes

formerly known as serum cholinesterase

More general terms

• cholinesterase
• oligomerizing protein
• glycoprotein
• secreted protein

Additional terms

• amyloid (senile, neuritic) plaque
• cholinesterase in serum/plasma

Database

• UniProt: http://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/P06276.html
• OMIM: https://mirror.omim.org/entry/177400
• Entrez gene: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=gene&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Graphics&list_uids=590