The ATPase of cholinergic synaptic vesicles is associated with sugars.

The ATPase in synaptic vesicles isolated from Torpedo californica electric organ can be nearly completely solubilized in octaethyleneglycoldodecyl ether containing buffer where it is stable only in a narrow pH range around neutrality. Solubilized ATPase adsorbs to Sepharose columns containing covalently linked Triticum vulgaris, Concanavalin A, Glycine max, Dolichos biflorus, Lens culinaris or Pisum sativum lectins in a manner responding to cognate sugar block or enzymatic deglycosylation in most cases. However, reproducible elution of adsorbed ATPase activity with cognate sugars could not be obtained. It is concluded that the cholinergic synaptic vesicle ATPase is a glycoprotein or it interacts with glycolipid.