The Journal of General Physiology, Vol 54, 271-277,
Copyright © 1969 by The Rockefeller University Press
Isologous Oxygen, Sulfur, and Selenium Compounds as Probes of Acetylcholine Receptors
Henry G. Mautner 1
1 From the Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510
Evidence is presented that while the conformations of acetylcholine and acetylthiolcholine are different, acetylthiolcholine and acetylselenolcholine are structurally and conformationally very similar. Experiments with sulfur and selenium isologs of acetylcholine, choline, and local anesthetics suggest that the active sites of receptors of the electroplax and of electric eel acetylcholinesterase are different, but are compatible with the postulate that acetylcholine receptors of axonal and synaptic excitable membranes are similar.