Acetylcholinesterase is an enzyme whose best-known function is to hydro-lyze the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Acetylcholinesterase is expressed in several noncholinergic tissues. Accordingly, we report for the first time the identification of acetylcholinesterase in human umbilical cord vein endo-thelial cells. Here we further performed an electrophoretic and biochemical characterization of this enzyme, using protein extracts obtained by solubili-zation of human endothelial cell membranes with Triton X-100. .
