Acetylcholinesterase from rat red cells and cholinesterase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: different types of inhibition by atropine.

The inhibition by atropine of cholinesterase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been studied in parallel with the membrane bound acetylcholinesterase from rat red cells. Acetylcholinesterase of rat red cells, like other animal cholinesterases, was competitively inhibited while the cholinesterase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa was partially non competitively inhibited by atropine. These results clearly indicated a different behavior of cholinesterase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa in comparison with the enzyme of Pseudomonas fluorescens and other animal cholinesterases.