Electron microscope localization of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase in the ciliary ganglion of the cat

Ciliary ganglia (CG) of cats were stained for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) by the bis-(thioacetoxy) aurate (I), or Au(TA)2, method for examination by electron microscopy. Acetylcholinesterase was localized along the axolemmas of the preganglionic fibers and their terminals and on the plasmalemmas of the perikarya and dendrites of the ganglion cells, as in the cat superior cervical ganglion (SCG). In contrast to the SCG, AChE was also found in significant amounts in the rough endoplasmic reticulum of the CG cells and dendrites, and in varying but high concentrations in channels of extracellular space in the complex capsular region surrounding the perikarya and dendrites. Butyrylcholinesterase was confined chiefly to the dendritic and perikaryonal plasma membranes of the ganglion cells, as in the SCG. Lysosomes and mitochondria were stained chiefly for non-cholinesterase enzymes, as indicated by the physostigmine-treated controls. The significance of these distributions is discussed.